In April 2026, a South Carolina medical malpractice jury in Richland County determined that defendant Prisma Health Richland Hospital was liable for $315,000 in damages for the fractured hip suffered by an 88-year-old patient who fell in the hospital. The patient was required to undergo surgery to treat his hip fracture.
The patient had been admitted to the defendant hospital on April 25, 2022 after he experienced shortness of breath and was confused. The plaintiff claimed that the defendant hospital was negligent in failing to properly monitor the patient and that such failure was the cause of the patient’s fall and injury. However, the jury also determined that the fall did not contribute to the patient’s death.
The $315,000 South Carolina medical malpractice jury’s verdict will be capped at $300,000 because the hospital enjoyed charitable immunity under South Carolina law.
From Jack Mills’ Obituary
Jack Martin Mills, 88, of Columbia, S.C. passed away on Saturday, June 8, 2024 after a courageous struggle with declining health.
Because of Jack’s personality and natural ability to connect with anybody, his list of friends was very long and ranged from the next-door neighbor to people like Kirk Douglas, Tony Bennett, Bill Clinton, Junior Johnson and Jeff Gordon.
One of Jack’s passions in life was tennis. He first became involved with tennis in 1973 when his son, Tony, came home upset about a draw in a tournament … He not only played tennis, he had a long and distinguished career as a volunteer with the United States Tennis Association for over 40 years. His first official job with the USTA was a State Selector in 1976. He worked a great deal at the local level and was very proud of his role in starting league tennis in Columbia. In 1977, he was elected President of the South Carolina Tennis Association followed by President of the USTA Southern Section in 1988. He also served as Regional Vice President for the USTA for a time. Jack was a charter member of the South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation. He served on the USTA League Committee and chaired the Sanction and Schedules Committee as well as the Public Affairs Committee. In 1993, he was a member of the US Open Committee and chaired the US Open Project Committee during the planning and construction of Arthur Ashe Stadium and the renovation of Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York. He represented the USTA on the ITF Olympic Committee before and during the 1996 games in Atlanta and was an advisor to the Atlanta Committee focusing on the construction of the tennis stadium and complex. Jack was inducted into the SC Tennis Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. He also received the USTA Southern Touchstone Award in 1991. A few years ago, the Jack Mills Scholarship Endowment was established by Mills’ friends and admirers from South Carolina, the Southern Section of the USTA and the nation to recognize his lifetime of contributions to the sport of tennis. These scholarships are distributed by the Southern Tennis Foundation to help deserving students offset expenses during their four years at a college or university.
In 2002, he received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian award. He served as Chairman of the Advisory Board for the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sports Management at the University of South Carolina. He also served on the Board for the Township Auditorium in Columbia, where he worked tirelessly toward its renovation and revitalization. He was appointed a member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports and a board member of PE4Life. He was named one of the 25 most influential sports figures in South Carolina and listed among SC’s top 100 sports figures for the millennium.
Jack was also a huge fan of NASCAR. His love for stock car racing began as a young child in North Carolina when he and his friends would climb over the fences to watch. Later, they would all pile into a car and drive to Bowman Gray in Winston Salem to take in the races. In his adult life, one of his prides was his NASCAR “hard card” he got each year that allowed him full access anywhere around the track. He loved the sport, but really he loved the people more. In true Jack fashion, he talked to everyone and became well-known around the track and the NASCAR world. He took great pleasure in taking people to the races with him and letting them see the sport “the Jack way”.
If you or a loved one suffered serious harm as a result of medical negligence in South Carolina or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find a South Carolina medical malpractice lawyer, or a medical malpractice lawyer in your state, who may investigate your medical negligence claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
Visit our website or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959 to find medical malpractice attorneys in your state who may assist you.
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