Medical Malpractice Results

Roberts v. Dr. Ronald Locke (2018).  A Verdict for $519,000 by Mark Melrose and Adam Melrose for a man injured by Dr. Locke transecting Mr. Robert’s common bile duct.  The doctor appealed, asking for a new trial, and Melrose Law successfully argued in the Court of Appeals that the judgment was free of any appealable error.  

A Favorable Settlement by Mark Melrose and Adam Melrose for a estate of man who died as a result of a complete common bile duct transection injury that occurred during a gallbladder removal surgery.  Despite heroic efforts by repair surgeons, they were unable to repair the damage caused by the initial injury.

$3.025 Million settlement by Mark R. Melrose and co-counsel in a medical malpractice case for 40 year old man who suffered a devastating stroke after his surgeon failed to diagnose the cause of his bowel infarction. The doctor failed to read the echocardiogram which had clear evidence of a blood clot. This clot then broke apart and caused the stroke.

Significant settlement by Mark R. Melrose in a wrongful death malpractice case for middle-aged man who was feeling ill and visited his primary care physician. Labs were ordered which showed a critically high level of calcium in the blood; a condition known as hyperkalemia. The man should have immediately been admitted to the hospital for life-saving treatment. Instead, the physician failed to contact the patient with the lab results, and he suffered a devastating fatal heart attack the next day.

$1.24 million wrongful death medical malpractice settlement in a case involving misdiagnosis by an emergency room physician. Despite the patient being seen by the same doctor twice in a 24 hour period, he was never admitted, and did not receive an adequate diagnostic series of tests to determine the source of his pain. The patient developed a serious gangrene infection that ultimately cost him his life. He was survived by a wife who was dependent upon him for her daily needs.

Large confidential settlement in a medical malpractice case for a middle aged man who suffered a massive abdominal infection due to a bowel perforation after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery. Due to the delay in addressing the worsening infection, the patient nearly died, was placed into ICU on a ventilator, and ultimately suffered serious permanent complications from the infection.

A Favorable Settlement for the estate of a man who died of a heart attack after visiting the emergency room earlier the same day with heart issues.

$1.025 Million settlement by Randy Seago & Mark R. Melrose on behalf of infant girl who contracted Group B Strep at birth. Claims were made against the obstetrician, and also against the pediatrician and radiologist for a negligent resuscitation effort which resulted in an esophageal intubation with hypoxia and brain injury.

$980,000 settlement by Mark R. Melrose in a medical malpractice case against a surgeon who suffered an unrecognized bowel injury during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure resulting in serious sepsis and recovery in the intensive care unit.

Favorable settlement for elderly gentleman who was the victim of a pharmacy error. His doctor prescribed him a blood pressure medicine, but the pharmacy mistakenly filled the script with an antihistamine drug. As a result, his blood pressure became unstable and he required additional medical care. After Mark R. Melrose pointed out the error the case promptly settled.

$975,000 verdict by Mark R. Melrose for 9 year old girl malpractice case against a pediatrician who failed to diagnosis her appendicitis which resulted in a perforation and disfiguring abdominal surgery. At the time this was the largest personal injury verdict in Haywood County history.

$800,000 jury verdict by Mark R. Melrose in a botched laparoscopic gallbladder surgery in Burke County (Morganton, NC) when the patient’s common bile duct was cut. The Defendant general surgeon compounded his initial mistake by failing to obtain the family’s informed consent to transfer his patient to a hepatobiliary specialist for the repair, but instead attempted the repair for which he had very little experience. Rector v. Dr. Alan F. Jacks, 10 CVS 1446

$400,000 settlement by Mark R. Melrose in a medical malpractice case against a surgeon for his failure to diagnose a bowel perforation following gallbladder surgery.

Mark R. Melrose, in conjunction with out of state counsel, reached a favorable confidential settlement for a man who died in a rural county jail. The victim was arrested on minor charges, and was mistakenly overdosed with methadone by a physician’s assistant while being held in custody. Jailers have a duty to provide appropriate medical care for all prisoners.

$250,000 settlement by Mark R. Melrose for a birth related brachial plexus injury resulting in partial disability. The obstetrician failed to estimate the baby’s birth weight or offer the mother a c-section instead of vaginal delivery and the baby was very large resulting in shoulder dystocia during delivery.

$235,000 settlement by Mark R. Melrose and Kim Lay in a medical malpractice case for a woman who was misdiagnosed with a stomach virus when she was, in fact, suffering a heart attack (myocardial infarction).

$230,000 settlement by Mark R. Melrose and Kim Lay in a medical malpractice case involving the misdiagnosis of a woman in the emergency room suffering from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The emergency room physician mistakenly concluded she was suffering from constipation.

Edwards v. Wall (2001), Ms. Wall, represented by Mark Melrose, appealed the court’s decision to disqualify an expert witness enlisted to testify on her behalf in a medical malpractice case. The Court of Appeals agreed with the Plaintiff, finding that the decision to disqualify the witness was based on faulty interpretation of the law.