$3.35 Million Verdict in Three-Week Medical Malpractice Trial
Press Release, 12/03/1999Clifford Law Offices received a $3.35 million verdict late Friday (Dec. 3) for a former South suburban man who suffered permanent medical problems for failure to diagnose and treat diverticulitis.
For three weeks, Matthew Baker of Clifford Law Offices tried the case before the four-man-seven-women jury against Suburban Health Care Medical Associates of Bloomingdale and Dr. Ronald Ledvora, an internist.
William Scardina, now of Scottsdale, Arizona, was 47 years old when he saw Dr. Ledvora complaining of abdominal cramps and a high fever. Dr. Ledvora diagnosed the problem as infectious diarrhea. A week later Scardina was hospitalized with an infection of the large intestine and requires a permanent colostomy.
"Failure to recognize or test for diverticulitis requires some basic medical procedures to be followed which simply were not done here," Baker said. "The jury clearly saw that what happened because he will be suffering for the rest of his life."
The trial, which began Nov. 10, was heard before Cook County Circuit Court Judge James Quinlan. The jury deliberated three hours before giving Scardina the full amount requested by Baker.
