Patient awarded $17 million in damages following medical malpractice

A jury in the state of Maine, USA, has awarded $17 million in damages—approximately 50 million shekels—to a 27-year-old woman after determining that medical malpractice occurred during a gynecological procedure. Reports indicate this is the highest compensation ever awarded in a medical malpractice lawsuit in Kennebec County.

The incident took place in March 2023, when Emily Mitchell was admitted for surgery to remove a benign ovarian cyst that had grown significantly. Shortly after the procedure, her condition deteriorated, and she was rushed to another hospital.

At the second facility, it was discovered that her bladder had been removed by mistake during the initial surgery. Pathological tests confirmed that the tissue removed was indeed bladder tissue rather than the cyst she had been scheduled to have removed.

According to Mitchell's attorneys, the damage was irreversible, as there was insufficient healthy tissue left to reconstruct the organ. For eight months, she lived with two drainage tubes connected directly to her kidneys to drain urine, suffering from recurrent urinary tract and kidney infections while undergoing complex medical interventions.

She later underwent surgery at a hospital in Massachusetts, where doctors created a new bladder using a portion of her small intestine. Despite the reconstruction, she must still use a catheter several times a day to empty the new bladder and remains under regular medical supervision.

The jury found Northern Light Inland Hospital and the Northern Light Health system liable for negligence, awarding Mitchell damages for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of quality of life, and permanent disability.

Her attorney, Susan Faunce, stated following the verdict:

"The compensation cannot erase what she went through, but it finally gives her a sense of justice and closure after years of suffering."