A Maryland medical malpractice jury returned its verdict in the amount of $35 million for a patient who had elective cosmetic surgical procedures after which she developed an infection that was not timey or appropriately diagnosed or treated, leading to sepsis and the patient deteriorating into a coma for one week and spending three months in the hospital.
In May 2020, the woman had liposuction and a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) performed by a plastic surgeon. According to her Maryland medical malpractice lawsuit, she developed an infection that a physician’s assistant (PA) failed to recognize during two post-surgery office visits. The woman requested to speak with the plastic surgeon but the plastic surgeon denied that he was advised regarding the patient’s request.
The woman was found in septic shock in her bed at home ten days after the surgery. She was transported to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and then transferred to the University of Maryland Medical System Shock Trauma in Baltimore. At the Shock Trauma Center, she had two debridement surgeries to remove dead tissue that removed almost the entire midsection of her body and the front of her thighs which had to be treated with skin grafts.
The woman testified during trial that essentially she has no abdominal muscles, is severely limited in her range of motion, has back pain from muscle imbalance, and the grafted skin is inflexible and tight. She also testified that she will be unable to have children.
The defense argued that the woman was contributorily negligent. The surgeon also complained that he should not be held liable for the PA’s failure to communicate with him, which was a breach of the contract between the PA and the surgeon’s companies.
The woman’s Maryland medical malpractice lawsuit was filed in February 2023 and named as defendants Premier Surgical Pavilion of Oxon Hill, Maryland; Lexington Plastic Surgeons; Courtney Steiert (the physician’s assistant); the surgeon, Paul Dillon, M.D.; and, Michael Jones, M.D., who is the principal of Premier and Lexington, which are located in the same building.
The seven-day Maryland medical malpractice jury trial that took place in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland concluded on March 20, 2025 with the jury awarding a total of $35,013,510: $30 million in noneconomic damages, $736,537 in past medical expenses, $2.19 million in future medical expenses, $1.46 million in lost income, and $621,916 for loss of household services. The $30 million in noneconomic damages will be reduced to $830,000, which was the amount of the cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases in effect in Maryland at the time of the alleged medical negligence.
If you or a loved one may have been injured (or worse) as a result of medical malpractice in Maryland, you should promptly find the best Maryland medical malpractice lawyer for you, who may investigate your medical malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a Maryland medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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