A jury took just four hours to deliberate before awarding a 41-year-old Chicago-area woman $5 million against a doctor who unnecessarily performed a hysterectomy after her cesarean section to deliver her first child.
Sharon Virginelli had the C-section 10 years ago at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Her obstetrician, Pamela Liu, deemed a hysterectomy was necessary because of post-operative bleeding, but experts say other, less drastic techniques could have been performed.
"This verdict demonstrates that doctors cannot make hasty decisions that are convenient for them," said Keith Hebeisen of Clifford Law Offices, which tried the case.
