Medical Malpractice

• Numb Tongue From Wisdom Tooth Removal

  Staff Writer | April 16, 2007 3:56 PM | 0 CommentsPortland, OR

  Most people have their wisdom teeth removed -- the 3rd molars. If the teeth are removed wrong a patient can leave the oral surgery or dental office with a permanently numb tongue. The lingual nerve provides sensation, including taste, to the tongue.If your tongue is still numb the day after your wisdom teeth have been removed, you should report the problem to the dentist or oral surgeon who...

• New Book Reveals Where Doctors Go Wrong

  Staff Writer | March 19, 2007 5:00 PM | 0 CommentsPortland, OR

  An article in Time magazine discusses a doctor's new book on why doctors make medical mistakes. The research found that 80% of medical mistakes are due to thinking errors on the part of the doctors and 20% are due to technical errors.The book is "How Doctors Think" and is a good read for anyone trying to get the best possible care and help protect him/herself from medical errors.

• Medication Error Lawsuit Settles

  Staff Writer | July 31, 2006 12:35 PM | 0 CommentsPortland, OR

  On July 26, 2006, our firm successfully concluded a case which involved both a medication error and medical malpractice. Our client was placed on Coumadin, a blood thinner, due to a rare clotting factor in her blood. Her doctor erred by taking her off the medication and she had a life-altering stroke, permanently disabling her.On April 29, 2005 Jane Doe sustained a massive stroke to the brain...

• New Trial Denied in Lingual Nerve Injury Verdict

  Staff Writer | August 24, 2006 2:47 PM | 0 CommentsPortland, OR

  In June, Jane Paulson won a $600,000 verdict for injury to our client's lingual nerve from a wisdom tooth extraction. The defense filed a motion for new trial which was heard and rejected yesterday by the court. The defense now plans to appeal the lingual nerve injury verdict.The lingual nerve is on the tongue side of your teeth and can be permanently damaged if a dentist errs, most often by...

• Medical Malpractice Suit Declared Mistrial

  Christina Cole | February 24, 2007 10:03 PM | 0 CommentsPortland, OR

  A medical malpractice lawsuit brought by Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis has been declared a mistrial after two defendant doctors helped a juror who had collapsed during testimony.The unidentified gentleman began to moan before he collapsed during testimony by an expert defense witness.Weis' attorney moved for mistrial after the juror was removed from the courtroom to be taken to the hospital....

• Oregon Jury Returns $1.4 Million Dollar Medical Malpractice Verdict

  Staff Writer | September 07, 2006 10:01 PM | 0 CommentsPortland, OR

  A Portland, Oregon jury returned a $1.4 million dollar verdict in a medical malpractice case today against Oregon Health Sciences University. The medical malpractice case is significant because it is the first verdict in Oregon since the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that individual doctors at OHSU can be sued beyond the tort claims cap of $100,000 non-economic damages and $100,000 economic...

• Oregon Malpractice Payouts Decline

  Christina Cole | February 06, 2007 11:49 PM | 0 CommentsPortland, OR

  For many years, physicians groups in Oregon and nationally have railed about a malpractice crisis said to be the cause of driving up costs and forcing doctors to close shop.But a study published on Wednesday suggests malpractice damage awards have declined considerably in recent years.Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen mined the federal government's National Practitioner Data Bank to track...

• Epilepsy Drug Linked To Birth Defects

  Staff Writer | August 09, 2006 1:15 PM | 0 CommentsPortland, OR

  A new study solidifies beliefs that women of child-bearing age should avoid the epilepsy drug Depacon (valproate). Evidence showed that of 333 women followed, 20 percent of those taking Depacon suffered miscarriages or gave birth to babies with birth defects. Problems with three other drugs ranged from one to 11 percent. The study examined only women who took the epilepsy drugs from 199-2004,...

• Hospital Liability Cap Overruled in Medical Malpractice Case

  Staff Writer | July 19, 2006 1:15 PM | 0 CommentsPortland, OR

  Though a state law limits jury awards against public agencies to $200,000, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled on July 5 that the family of a brain-damaged child could sue for millions of dollars. The family of Jordaan Michael Clarke sued Oregon Health & Science University for more than $17 million alleging their boy suffered permanent brain damage in 1998 due to medical malpractice while a...

• Paxil and Risk of Birth Defect

  Christina Cole | January 23, 2007 6:09 PM | 0 CommentsPortland, OR

  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded that exposure to paroxetine during pregnancy can increase the risk for congenital malformations, in particular, cardiac malformations. Per the FDA's request, the manufacturer has changed paroxetine's pregnancy category from C to D and now added new data and recommendations to the Warning section of paraxetine's prescribing information....