JURY AWARDS $500,000 IN SUIT VS. HOSPITAL MAN DIED AFTER HAVING SURGERY AT MEDCENTRAL/MANSFIELD: Jack Landskroner, attorney for the Plaintiff
The MANSFIELD NEWS JOURNAL: February 12, 2005
By Joel Moroney, News Journal CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER: Business, September 23, 2000
Mansfield - A Richland County jury Monday awarded a $500,000 verdict to the estate of a man who died after having surgery at MedCentral/Mansfield in 1998
Jay Kmetz,
37, died a day after an operation for a herniated disc March 10, 1998.
The four-day trial concluded Friday before Richland County Common Pleas
Judge James DeWeese. Eight jurors returned a unanimous verdict shortly
after 10:15 a.m. Monday, finding nursing care fell below acceptable standards
resulting in injury to Kmetz before he died, according to a statement
from the family.
The family declined further comment.
MedCentral attorney Ken Beddow was reviewing the verdict Monday and could not say whether an appeal would be filed. No autopsy was performed on Kmetz and Beddow said the jury did not determine cause of death or that the hospital was negligent.
"Obviously MedCentral contested this case because we believe the evidence was such that there was no negligence," Beddow said. "Of course MedCentral felt bad for the death as they do whenever a patient dies."
