Jury Awards $17 Million to Woman After Retained Surgical Instrument Incident at Presbyterian Hospital

Albuquerque, NM — A New Mexico jury has awarded almost $17 million to a woman after she unknowingly lived with a 13-inch metal retractor in her abdomen for two months following a surgical procedure performed at Presbyterian Hospital in 2019. This decision includes one of the state’s largest punitive damages in recent medical malpractice judgements, posing serious questions about surgical safety protocols. The substantial award handed down includes $15 million aimed to punish Presbyterian Healthcare Services, the state’s most extensive healthcare network, for this severe oversight. Additionally, the plaintiff, Michelle Torma, received $1.75 million in … Read more

$39 Million Verdict in Groundbreaking Mesothelioma Case Linked to Surgical Talc Use

WOBURN, Mass. — In a landmark decision, a Middlesex Superior Court jury delivered a $39 million verdict against Cimbar Performance Minerals after a four-week trial, concluding that the company’s talc product caused mesothelioma in a patient following a medical procedure. The case, known as Zundel v. United Minerals & Properties, Inc., marks the first successful products liability suit linking mesothelioma to sterile talc used during surgery. On September 13, after merely five hours of deliberation, jurors found Cimbar liable for breach-of-warranty and negligence, awarding substantial damages to plaintiff Bryce Zundel. Notably, the verdict included $12.25 … Read more