-Defendants to pay the plaintiff for injuries resulting in open-heart surgery to replace two valves –
Partner Michael L. Teich and Associate Patrick J. Blum secured a $2.5 million settlement in a medical malpractice case on behalf of a 50-year old woman from Lake County, IL. Two defendants agreed to pay $2.5 million on January 9, 2020, after mediation before the Honorable Judge Hollis Webster.
The plaintiff filed suit against her primary care physician and the physician’s employer for severe and permanent injuries resulting from an infection that went undiagnosed. The plaintiff visited her doctor in February 2016 because she wasn’t feeling well. She returned in March and continued to feel sick over the next several months, returning multiple times to her doctor who told her it was a virus and would resolve on its own. In June 2016, the plaintiff went to the emergency room where a blood culture revealed that she had been suffering from a streptococcus bovis (strep bovis) infection and an advanced case of endocarditis caused by the strep bovis infection. Strep bovis infection, when left unchecked, is known to attack the valves of the heart, and in the plaintiff’s case, the infection was so advanced that her aortic valve and mitral valve were destroyed beyond repair.
From February through June 2016, the defendant’s doctor never ordered or performed a blood culture to determine whether the plaintiff suffered from a bacterial infection such as strep bovis. The doctor never referred the plaintiff to an infectious disease specialist, nor did the doctor prescribe penicillin or any similar antibiotic known to be effective against strep bovis.
The plaintiff was forced to undergo open-heart surgery in July 2016 to replace both valves. The recovery was painful and prolonged and she remained weak and debilitated for months after surgery. She will continue to suffer from chest pain, fatigue, and other consequences of her injuries, including limited ability to function physically. She has also been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, panic disorder, and PTSD as a result of this ordeal.
“We are very pleased with the outcome for our client, and the fact that the result will provide financial security to continue her ongoing care,” Teich stated. “We are proud to continue the Anesi tradition of uncompromising and tenacious advocacy for our clients.” Blum stated, “We are happy that the settlement will provide some sense of normalcy for our client and her family.”
About Michael L. Teich
Partner Michael L. Teich is an accomplished, board-certified* trial lawyer with more than two decades of multi-million dollar, record-breaking verdicts and settlements. He is recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer and is one of a select group of lawyers in Illinois to be certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in civil advocacy. He has also been a guest lecturer at Chicago-Kent College of Law.
*Board certification is not required to practice law in Illinois, and the Illinois Supreme Court does not recognize specialties in the practice of law.
About Patrick J. Blum
Associate Patrick J. Blum is a talented trial lawyer with more than 18 years of litigation experience and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. He is one of a select few attorneys to be recognized as one of the National Trial Lawyers (NTL) Top 40 Under 40, a title awarded to a few of the most qualified attorneys from each state who demonstrate superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence, stature, and public profile.