S.C. jury awards $30 million to doctor’s family
The family of a South Carolina doctor who died during joint-replacement has been awarded $30 million, after a jury found that the hospital and an anesthesiologist were responsible for the death. The award was for actual damages in the 2002 death of Dr. Asif Sheikh, 58. The jury did not award punitive damages. Sheikh died less than a day after double knee-replacement surgery at Lexington Medical Center.
The hospital is expected to be liable for $270,000 of the award. The rest was to be paid by anesthesiologist Dr. Gail Capell, said Geoffrey Fieger, an attorney for the family. The jury found surgeon Dr. Tom Gross was not responsible for Sheikh’s death. The hospital, Gross and Capell had denied liability, claiming Sheikh’s death stemmed from his “physical infirmities and a natural disease process.”
(AP)
- Greater Chance of Major Hurricane on East Coast This Year, Less in Gulf, Scientist Says
- Former Executive Alleges Gender Bias, Retaliatory Firing by NEXT Insurance
- Buffett’s Berkshire Reveals $6.7 Billion Stake in Insurer Chubb
- Popular SC Country Music Venue Shuts Down Due to Liquor Liability Insurance Costs