Professional Negligence Law Reporter

Carter v. Univ. of S. Fla., No. 12-CA-9942 (Fla. Cir. Ct. Hillsborough Cnty. Mar. 7, 2018).

Lisa-Maria Carter, 45, went to Tampa General Hospital for outpatient surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. Staff physician Larry Glazerman performed a Hassan laparoscopic procedure with the help of two residents.

During the operation, Glazerman transected Carter’s bowel; however, Carter was admitted to the patient floor several hours later. There, she experienced severe pain and abnormally low blood pressure. Additionally, her incision opened, discharging a large amount of bloody fluid. Carter’s condition continued to worsen until she was diagnosed as suffering from acute respiratory failure, hypotension, organ failure, and possible sepsis. Two days after the laparoscopy, she underwent the first of two emergency surgeries, which revealed an almost complete transection of the colon.

Carter required amputation of all four limbs and underwent additional surgeries to treat her injuries. She had been a defense analyst earning up to $150,000 annually but now requires 24-hour care. Carter sued the Board of Trustees of the University of South Florida, whose medical school staffed over half of the hospital and which employed Glazerman, alleging the surgeon negligently transected the colon and failed to timely recognize and treat this. The jury awarded the plaintiff more than $109.76 million.

Plaintiff counsel: Kennan Dandar, Thomas Dandar, and Timothy Dandar, all of Tampa.
Plaintiff experts: Derek Angus, critical care, Pittsburgh; Bruce Rosenzweig, urogynecology, Chicago; Lauren Kendal, nursing, Tallahassee, Fla.; Michael Bechard, nursing, Tarpon Springs, Fla.; Steven Cooley, economics, Palmetto, Fla.; Joyce Eastridge, economics, Tampa; and John
Merritt, rehabilitation, Tampa.

Defense experts: Stephen Durham, economics, Tampa; Richard Katz, rehabilitation, St. Louis; and Richard Margolis, gynecology, Potomac, Md.