On January 26, 2024, Goodell DeVries partners Sean Gugerty and Thomas Monahan obtained a victory on behalf of an orthopedic surgeon following a five-day jury trial in federal court in Greenbelt.
This medical malpractice case involved a surgery to repair a fracture of the tibia and fibula in the lower leg that extended into the ankle joint. During the five-day trial, the plaintiffs focused on criticism that the defendant doctor failed to adequately re-align the tibia.
In the defense case, the defendant orthopedist gave a compelling account of her care of the patient and decision-making during the surgery. Two well-qualified orthopedic experts also walked the jury through pre- and post-surgery CT studies, showing how the significant damage from the initial fracture had been repaired appropriately. The experts also used the software tools embedded in the CT viewer to measure the angle of the tibia live on the witness stand — demonstrating to the jury the defendant orthopedist had achieved a near-perfect anatomical re-alignment.
After seeing the perseverance and poise of the defendant orthopedic surgeon and presentation of the defense experts, the jury deliberated for less than 90 minutes before issuing a defense verdict.
