A verdict in this case was reached by the jury on July 5, 2017 in Department G (Santa Monica) before the Hon. Bobbi Tillmon. Plaintiff alleged she underwent two unnecessary surgeries; a left hip arthroscopy and then, 9 months later, a total hip replacement. Plaintiff alleged that she was told she had “severe arthritis” of the left hip, warranting the surgical interventions. In fact, there was mild, at worst, arthritis as proven by both x-rays and an MRI. Plaintiff claimed her true diagnosis was “bursitis” which could have been successfully treated non-surgically. She claimed she has had unrelenting pain since the surgeries. The defense proved that bursitis was not the problem, and that all conservative measures had proven to be unsuccessful, leaving plaintiff with the choice of surgery or “living with the pain”. Her subsequent medical records established that she infrequently complained of hip pain after leaving the care of defendant. The jury reached a defense verdict (no negligence) after about 2.5 hours of deliberations.
