Menu
Defense Verdict in the Swanson Case for Casey C. Campbell
July 28, 2023
Congratulations to Casey C. Campbell for the unanimous defense verdict obtained after three full weeks of trial in this hotly contested matter. Casey represented an orthopedic spine surgeon who performed a two-stage surgery on Ms. Swanson in 2017. The first stage of the procedure went well with no complications. The following day, Casey’s client performed the second stage which involved hardware placement using pedicle screws. The screw placement was difficult, and the surgeon made multiple attempts at placement. Ultimately, he was satisfied with their placement and concluded the surgery. The following day, Ms. Swanson reported severe pain. Casey’s client immediately ordered imaging to investigate the issue and discovered four of the six pedicle screws were improperly positioned with three of them breaching the spinal canal. The surgeon immediately took Ms. Swanson back to surgery and repositioned the screws and confirmed proper placement with post-operative imaging. Plaintiff claimed she suffered severe neurologic damage and drop foot because of the initial mal-placed screws. In her deposition, Ms. Swanson claimed her injuries prevented her from being able to do many activities of daily living, including shopping at a grocery store, carrying a backpack, or holding her grandchildren. During discovery, Casey and his team were able to obtain surveillance footage of Ms. Swanson doing all of these things. Casey also elicited testimony from experts who opined the screw placement, while not in the pedicle, did not injure or damage any nerves and caused no lasting effects on Ms. Swanson. Casey was also able to cross-examine Plaintiff’s expert witness on the fact that he too had mal-placed pedicle screws in the past and that such incorrect placement can happen in the absence of negligence. Plaintiff sought more than $2M in damages.
Categories: Firm News