Basketball Great Bo Ellis Testified Monday on Tragic Case Involving Death of His Daughter

The Chicago Sun-Times covered the event.

Robert A. Strelecky, partner at Clifford Law Offices, will be putting Maurice “Bo” Ellis on the witness stand on Monday, Jan. 25, 2010, in the medical malpractice lawsuit involving the death of his daughter. 

The case, which has been on trial for the past week before Cook County Circuit Court Judge  Cheryl Starks in the Daley Center (Room 2506), involves Nicole Ellis, 24, who died in July, 2003, as a result of medical negligence in the treatment of complications of a liver disorder.

Nicole went to the emergency room at South Suburban Hospital on June 12, 2003, complaining of abdominal pain and swelling.  Doctors there failed to recognize a potentially life-threatening liver disorder on a CT scan of her liver.  Although a diagnosis of liver disease was made at South Suburban Hospital, the doctor taking care of Nicole failed to transfer Nicole to an appropriate medical center where she could receive the level of care necessary to treat her medical situation. 

A CT scan performed at South Suburban on Nicole was improperly diagnosed as a fatty liver and the radiologist failed to recognize and report signs that she was suffering from a clot in the major vein in her liver.  After a period of nine days at South Suburban Hospital, Nicole was eventually admitted to the University of Chicago Hospital where, despite heroic measures, she died from advanced clotting in her liver that extended to her other organs.

At the time, Nicole (Nikki) lived with her parents, Cynthia and Bo Ellis and her younger sister, Christina, who is disabled with cerebral palsy.  At six feet nine inches tall, the basketball great Bo Ellis was on the Marquette University team that won the NCAA National Championship in 1977 under Coach Al McGuire.  Bo went on to play professionally for the Denver Nuggets and later to coach Marquette basketball and then became the head coach at Chicago State University.  He now works for the Chicago Park District helping students in a sports administration position. 

Bo and his wife Cynthia are benefactors of the Nicole Ellis Foundation, a foundation which benefits research into diagnosis and treatment of liver disease and also benefits minority non-revenue student athletes at Marquette University.  Christina Ellis also is scheduled to testify on Monday.

Mary C. Sweeney of Clifford Law Offices is second chairing the case.