A six-year legal battle involving Petersburg Medical Center came to an end in a civil superior court early this month. The twelve-person jury found that the hospital was not at fault for a $5 million medical malpractice suit filed by Page Parish.
Parish received treatment for an umbilical hernia at PMC in 2015. He alleged that hospital staff recklessly failed to evaluate and treat complications from the surgery. His suit claims the resulting mesh infection caused him a great deal of physical, mental, and emotional suffering, as well as permanent disfigurement.
The hospital, through its attorneys, Chester Gilmore and Samuel Gottstein, insisted that the attending staff acted appropriately and met the required standards of care. The defense also claimed Parish ignored medical counsel, which aggravated the injury.
The suit went before a jury in Petersburg in mid-August, with Judge Katherine Lybrand presiding. At the end of the two-week trial, the jury found that Petersburg Medical Center is innocent of negligence.
PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter says he’s grateful for the jury’s thorough consideration of the evidence.
“I feel appreciative of the process,” said Hofstetter. “I’m appreciative of the jury decision that occurred. I know it’s a really long, invested process to undergo something like that. So I’m very, very appreciative that the jury saw the case the way we did. I just feel very strongly that PMC has a high standard of care, and this case does capture many elements of that.”
PMC filed for attorney’s fees and costs on September 11th, which would be taxed against the plaintiff. Parish and his attorney, Mark Choate, did not respond to requests for comment.
