Professional Negligence Law Reporter
Dentistry
You must be a Professional Negligence Law Reporter subscriber to access this content.
If you are a member of AAJ's Professional Negligence Section or a subscriber, log in below. Not yet a Section member? Join today!
Join the Professional Negligence SectionAlready a subscriber? Log in
Mishandled root canal
January/February 2023Joyce Crawford underwent a root canal performed by dentist Lynn Livingston, an employee of Dental Care Center of Decatur, LLC. During the procedure, Crawford suffered damage to her inferior alveolar nerve, leaving her with permanent paresthesia and facial pain.
Crawford sued Livingston and Dental Care Center of Decatur, alleging the defendants negligently failed to determine whether she needed a root canal before the procedure, refer her to a specialist, use a rubber dam, and determine the root canal working length before the procedure.
The jury awarded $10 million.
Citation: Crawford v. Livingston, No. 2019-A-76777-7 (Ga. St. Ct. DeKalb Cnty. Aug. 10, 2022).
Plaintiff counsel: Daniel Moriarty and AAJ member C. Andrew Childers, both of Atlanta; and Daphne S. Withrow, Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Plaintiff experts: Shahrokh Bagheri, oral surgery, Marietta, Ga.; and Lou Berman, endodontics, Annapolis, Md.
