William H. Chamblee and Jennifer H. Saucedo obtained a take-nothing defense verdict on behalf of a plastic surgeon in Rockwall County, Texas. The Plaintiff underwent abdominal surgery without complication but subsequently developed wound dehiscence and fat necrosis at the incision site. Although the patient expressed concerns about infection, the surgeon did not believe there was an infection. After treating the wound conservatively for a period of time, the surgeon determined that it was not healing sufficiently and offered to schedule surgery to debride and close the wound. The patient instead went to a hospital emergency department the next day and underwent surgery there. She went on to recover without further complication. Plaintiff sued, alleging that the Defendant surgeon was negligent in failing to timely recognize and treat an alleged infection, resulting in delayed treatment, pain and suffering, and scarring/disfigurement. Plaintiff sought damages in excess of $1,000,000. Mr. Chamblee and Ms. Saucedo, on behalf of the surgeon, argued that all of the care and treatment was appropriate, that the patient showed no signs of infection while under the care of the surgeon, and that the surgeon had appropriately offered surgery to the patient to close the wound. They further argued that regardless of whether there was or was not an infection, the Plaintiff ultimately underwent the same surgery the Defendant would have done and that the result was the same as if the surgery had been done any earlier or later. The jury returned a unanimous defense verdict after deliberating for less than 10 minutes.
Attorneys: William H. Chamblee; Jennifer H. Saucedo
