Woman wins Medical Malpractice lawsuit in Illinois
Toni Pratt was awarded $548,000 in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a former surgeon who botched abdominal surgery in 2002 which caused her chronic, pain and the loss of her right kidney. Dr. Michael Fenner was using a laparoscopic technique to remove a mass below her right kidney and unknowingly removed a 6 cm long section of Pratt’s ureter, (the tube has urine flow from the kidney to the bladder). Post surgery she complained of pain in the days after the surgery, but he dismissed her. Pratt later learned that her abdomen was infected and repairing the ureter could be dangerous so she chose to have her right kidney removed instead. The jury decided in her favor after a five-day trial, ruling that Fenner was negligent in performing abdominal surgery to remove a mass below her right kidney. The jury awarded Pratt $59,200 for medical bills, $154,000 for past and future lost earnings, and $335,000 for non-economic damages, including $150,000 for pain and suffering. Pratt was very pleased with the verdict because she had lost her home to foreclosure while sick. Fenner no longer practices in Springfield, Illinois and has moved to Alaska to practice.
