Minnesota Patient Awarded $10M in Medical Malpractice Case

UPDATED: Oct 21, 2024

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UPDATED: Oct 21, 2024Fact Checked

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Jeffrey Johnson

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Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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Mary Martin

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Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...

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UPDATED: Oct 21, 2024

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

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UPDATED: Oct 21, 2024

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

UPDATED: Oct 21, 2024Fact Checked

A Minnesota jury awarded a multiple sclerosis patient $10 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit after a medical resident mistakenly injected a drug into his spine that caused him severe injuries including seizures and neurological damage and required him to undergo further painful surgery. Five of the ten million dollar award comprised damages for his pain and suffering.

An injection that should have never been given

According to an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Larry Schultz, a former nuclear pharmacist, developed multiple sclerosis (MS) in the late 1980s. As part of his continuing treatment, he went to a St. Luke’s Medical Center in Minnesota to receive an injection to relieve the symptoms of his MS. He was given two drugs, Baclofen and Reno-60. The first was supposed to be injected directly into his spine, but the latter was not. The medical resident at St. Luke’s mistakenly injected both drugs into his spine, causing Shultz to suffer seizures, neurological damage, three fractured vertebrae and a fractured hip. He was confined to a wheelchair and had to undergo additional painful surgery.

He sued the hospital and the medical resident responsible for the malpractice and was awarded $10 million, five of which were for his pain and suffering. The other five million dollars constituted $4.5 million for future medical expenses and nearly $600,000 for past medical and health care expenses.

Do you have a medical malpractice lawsuit?

Medical malpractice lawsuits are filed when a medical professional’s services were negligently administered and resulted in a patient’s injury or death. Examples of medical professionals include doctors, dentists, nurses, hospitals, clinics and others such as urgent care facilities and nursing homes, among others.

In order for the injured party, or the loved ones of the deceased, to succeed in a medical malpractice negligence case, four things must be shown:

  • The medical professional or facility owed the patient a duty of care;
  • The medical professional or facility breached that duty of care;
  • That breach of care was the proximate cause of the patient’s injuries or death; and
  • The injured party, or the loved ones of the deceased, suffered damages due to the actions of the medical professional or facility.

If you believe that you or a loved one may have been the victim of medical malpractice in Minnesota or elsewhere, contact an attorney whose practice focuses in this area of law to discuss your situation. Consultations are free, without obligation and are strictly confidential.

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Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Mary Martin

Published Legal Expert

Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...

Published Legal Expert

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

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