Professional Negligence Law Reporter

Hua Yang, 55, went to osteopath Po-Long Lew, complaining of abdominal pain. Testing revealed elevated blood sugar and blood pressure. Lew administered Zofran, Pepcid, and intravenous sodium chloride. The osteopath also gave Yang a bottle of Jentadueto and told him to return in two days. When Yang returned to Lew, his blood sugar had risen from 324 to 570 mg/dL. After diagnosing Yang as having diabetes, Lew gave him an insulin injection, telling him to increase the Jentadueto and come back the next day.

The next day, Yang died of cardiac complications resulting from diabetic ketoacidosis. He is survived by his wife.

Yang’s wife sued Lew, alleging that he had failed to hospitalize Yang in light of his symptoms and negligently administered Jentadueto.

An arbitrator awarded over $2.05 million.

Citation: Tong v. Lew, No. BC508283 (Cal. Super. Ct. Los Angeles Cty. Mar. 29, 2021).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member John P. Blumberg and Fred S. Bongard, both of Long Beach, Calif.

Plaintiff experts: Darryl Zengler, economics, Pasadena, Calif.; and William Stringer, internal medicine, Torrance, Calif.

Defense expert: Richard Johnson, family medicine, Pacific Palisades, Calif.