PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A former diesel mechanic and his wife will receive a total of $10 million after jurors decided a Portland hospital and two doctors were negligent in an incident that resulted in his paralysis, according to attorneys.
On March 10, a Multnomah County jury awarded $8 million in economic and non-economic damages to John Douglas Cox, and another $2 million in non-economic damages to his spouse Cheri. The verdict stems from a complaint the couple filed against Kaiser Permanente, PeaceHealth and medical professionals in October 2023, arguing they had “breached the standard of care” in late 2021.
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Court documents show a Kaiser doctor implanted an electronic spinal stimulator and battery pack in Cox’s spine for his ongoing back problems that November, and conducted a post-procedure assessment less than two weeks later. The lawsuit states the patient sought treatment at an emergency room due to his exacerbating back pain the following month, before returning to Kaiser for a neurology appointment the following day on Dec. 8, 2021.
Over the next several days, physicians diagnosed Cox with severe sepsis with acute organ dysfunction and back cellulitis, according to attorneys. They alleged the plaintiff was discharged with a foley catheter on Dec. 12, but was transported to a PeaceHealth emergency department the following day around 3:30 a.m. because he “was in great pain and paralyzed from the chest down.”…