Professional Negligence Law Reporter

Nour Alahmad, 39, consulted plastic surgeon Jason Potter regarding post-cesarean abdominal scars and excess skin. Potter subsequently performed elective surgery on Alahmad at a hospital. Postoperatively, Alahmad received Dilaudid via a patient-controlled analgesia pump, and nurses administered Phenergan intravenously. A nurse also administered Norco in an amount that exceeded the FDA-recommended dosage.

Alahmad later stopped breathing and required resuscitation. She suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and later died. She is survived by her husband and four children.

Alahmad’s husband—individually and on behalf of her estate and the couple’s two minor children—and Alahmad’s two adult children sued Potter and his practice, alleging he had written medication orders that allowed nurses to administer multiple dangerous opioids without any orders for continuous pulse oximetry to monitor for respiratory depression. The plaintiffs also asserted that Potter had failed to properly fulfill his medical responsibilities to Alahmad.

After a jury verdict, the court entered judgment for more than $1.35 million, plus interest.

Citation: Zoubi v. Potter, No. DC-20-15793 (Tex. Dist. Ct. Dallas Cnty. Oct. 16, 2024).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member Colleen Carboy, Lewisville, Texas.