A Seattle jury has awarded $8.5 million to a man and his wife after the husband developed complications during a surgery at Virginia Mason Medical Center. The hospital was accused of neglecting to take appropriate action when the patient requested a specific surgeon handle a portion of his procedure, and he was instead given another less-experienced doctor.
During the surgery, the surgeon used an infected needle and did not sterilize his hands, which ultimately led to the man developing an infection that required months of penile reconstruction. The hospital has acknowledged that the doctor in question lacked sufficient experience and failed to properly sterilize his instruments. However, the hospital claims it did not violate any Washington state law, including those that require doctors to report any sex assault or rape incidents to police.
The lawsuit alleged that the hospital Virginia Mason Hospital Negligence Lawyer failed to act on complaints against the surgeon, Dr. Albert Roman-Cabezas, who had previously sexually assaulted a woman in a Yakima hospital. It also claims the hospital did not properly train its nurses and did not ensure that all employees had adequate medical training, allowing the hospital to continue to grant Roman-Cabezas privileges despite the woman’s injuries.
A former cancer researcher, Kelley has been a trial attorney for more than 20 years. He has obtained numerous defense verdicts and a hung jury, and has served as master of the bench in the Ted Dalton American Inn of Court. He regularly handles complex medical malpractice cases, including those involving high-stakes brain or cardiac surgery.
A 2022 graduate of the University of Richmond, Tracy Taylor Hague is a skilled and aggressive advocate who has made a habit of appearing on the Virginia Lawyers Weekly list of top defense verdicts. She has extensive experience representing hospitals, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities in all aspects of health care liability litigation. In addition to medical malpractice cases, she has a strong background in defending law enforcement officers, private entities and municipalities in Section 1983 actions alleging excessive use of force or deliberate indifference.