Tennessee Defense

Lawyers Association


Tennessee Defense Win!

31 Jul 2015 7:00 AM | Mary Gadd (Administrator)

Kay Anderson, attorney with The Hardison Law Firm in Memphis, Tennessee, successfully defended a general surgeon in the state Circuit Court in a case involving a low anterior repair operation. The plaintiff was a morbidly obese woman who had six previous abdominal surgeries. She presented to the emergency department with severe pain caused by diverticulitis. After a period of time to rest the bowel, the physician and his resident performed the procedure. They were able to visualize the ureters and move them away from the line of surgery. They successfully reconnected the colon to the rectum. After an uneventful post-operative course the patient was discharged. She returned to the emergency department with complaints of flank pain and was diagnosed with an obstructed ureter. A second surgery was performed to deal with this obstruction whereupon it was discovered that the ureter was parallel to the anastomosis with a staple across the ureter. The second surgery was a success and the plaintiff suffered no kidney damage. She subsequently developed a deep vein thrombosis and a hernia. She filed the lawsuit claiming the stapling of the ureter caused damages. After a two week trial, the jury found the physician had complied with the recognized standard of acceptable professional practice and was not liable.

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