R&B secures $500,000 settlement against Podiatrist in Lake County, Illinois

Romanucci & Blandin, LLC announces that a medical malpractice case against a podiatrist in Lake County, Illinois has been settled for $500,000. The motion call judge was Judge Joseph V. Salvi. The judge who mediated the case to resolution on March 2, 2021 was Judge Joseph N. Casciato (Ret.).  It is the highest reported settlement in a Lake County podiatry case in the last eight years.  The settlement includes the condition that the identities of the parties remain confidential.  

The male Plaintiff, then 21-years-old, sought treatment from a podiatrist in November of 2016 for his left foot and ankle pain. The podiatrist administered two injections for pain over the course of the next three months. The doctor failed to exhaust conservative treatment remedies, did not order further imaging and instead scheduled the Plaintiff for a fusion and ligament surgery in March of 2017.  One of the two screws in the Plaintiff’s foot inserted during the surgery broke and the fusion failed.  The Plaintiff sought treatment from a different foot and ankle specialist in January of 2018 and had a complete revision surgery.  The Plaintiff will likely need a future surgery as a result of the March 2017 surgery performed by the Defendant podiatrist.  

The Defense argued that broken hardware and non-union are risks of the surgery.  They also attempted to blame the Plaintiff for smoking cigarettes as the cause of the non-union.  They stated the surgery also failed because the Plaintiff is 6’ 6” and weighs 320 pounds and that he suffered an ATV roll-over accident seven years prior which injured the foot at issue.  Defense argued surgery was necessary in March of 2017 and that the Plaintiff does not need another future surgery.

The plaintiff was represented by Romanucci & Blandin.