Michigan Medical Malpractice & Birth Injury Verdicts & Settlements

A two-month-old child was brought to William Beaumont Hospital in Troy, MI, for a renal scan involving a kidney condition. After multiple failed attempts to start an IV, the child’s condition changed dramatically, with the infant demonstrating acute respiratory distress and cyanosis (turning blue).

Hospital staff failed to call a code blue or perform chest compressions in a timely fashion, leading to prolonged hypoxic ischemia. This catastrophic delay in emergency resuscitation resulted in massive brain damage and lifelong cerebral palsy. McKeen & Associates tried the case before a Wayne County jury, securing a record-setting $130 million verdict on behalf of the child and family.

McKeen & Associates, P.C. trial attorneys Brian McKeen and John LaParl, alongside a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services attorney, secured this historic $120 million jury verdict in Wayne County Circuit Court in March 2024.

The lawsuit established that the obstetrical medical team committed critical standard-of-care violations by delaying an emergent cesarean delivery despite mounting clinical evidence of fetal compromise. As a direct result of the delayed delivery, the infant was deprived of oxygen, sustaining profound and irreversible neurological damage, severe cerebral palsy, and lifelong physical dependencies.

McKeen & Associates attorneys Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee resolved this complex birth trauma action on behalf of a minor child born with profound, permanent brain injuries. During prenatal visits, the expectant mother repeatedly exhibited abnormally elevated blood pressure and excessive weight gain—hallmark warning signs of preeclampsia.

Through aggressive depositions, our legal team proved that the OB/GYN and clinic staff failed to frequently monitor the mother’s blood pressure, failed to obtain requisite urine and laboratory workups, and failed to consult a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. These systemic breaches allowed the mother to progress into severe eclamptic seizures, requiring an emergency preterm delivery. The child was born severely asphyxiated, resulting in spastic cerebral palsy. This recovery provides full financial coverage for specialized, round-the-clock medical care for the child’s entire life.

In June 2018, a catastrophic commercial trucking collision occurred in Wayne County, Michigan, when a heavy tractor-trailer slammed into the rear of a passenger vehicle carrying a father and his young son, tragically claiming both of their lives.

During litigation, McKeen & Associates exposed that the commercial truck driver was operating the tractor-trailer while taking multiple prescription medications known to cause severe drowsiness, impairment, and slowed reaction times. Our trial team held the driver and trucking entity fully accountable for reckless disregard of public safety, resulting in a unanimous $96 million wrongful death jury verdict for the surviving family.

In Wade vs. Henry Ford Hospital, McKeen & Associates secured a $55 million jury verdict—recognized as Michigan’s largest medical malpractice verdict—on behalf of a baby who suffered catastrophic, permanent brain damage due to emergency room negligence.

The infant presented to the emergency department of Bon Secor Hospital suffering from severe respiratory difficulties, with the mother warning healthcare providers that the child was “gasping for air.” Following only a cursory physical examination, the child was discharged home with an inhaler prescription. The following morning, the infant suffered acute respiratory arrest while in transit back to the emergency room.

McKeen & Associates successfully established at trial that despite normal vital signs during the initial visit, the patient’s documented clinical history of gasping for air and multiple prior hospital visits over the preceding week strictly warranted admission for continuous medical observation.

McKeen & Associates achieved a $9,000,000 settlement on behalf of a minor child born with profound, permanent brain injuries and spastic cerebral palsy caused by obstetrical mismanagement during labor and delivery.

When the expectant mother suffered an acute uterine rupture accompanied by placental abruption, medical staff failed to recognize the critical emergency. Instead of expediting an immediate cesarean section to save the baby from acute asphyxiation, the hospital staff wasted over sixty minutes attempting to find consistent fetal heart tones. This unreasonable surgical delay deprived the infant of oxygen, causing severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and requiring lifetime continuous attendant care.

In Oppenheim vs. Project Straight, et al., McKeen & Associates won a record $35 million jury verdict—believed to be the largest medical malpractice recovery ever returned in Oakland County, Michigan.

A 33-year-old business executive, husband, and father of three presented to an outpatient center for assistance recovering from prescription pain medication dependency. The medical team negligently failed to evaluate preoperatively whether the patient suffered from a cholinesterase deficiency, an enzyme abnormality that makes recovering from anesthesia exceptionally dangerous.

Following the procedure, medical providers left the patient completely unmonitored and unattended in a recovery room for prolonged periods. The patient suffered severe respiratory depression and irreversible hypoxic ischemic brain damage, tragically dying after lingering in critical condition for several days.

McKeen & Associates, P.C. attorneys Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee obtained a $2,500,000 settlement on behalf of a female client who suffered severe neurological trauma following a routine lumbar puncture procedure.

Following the procedure, healthcare providers failed to recognize the severity and rapid progression of the patient’s worsening neurological symptoms and neglected to order an urgent MRI to identify the underlying cause. When diagnostic imaging was belatedly performed, it revealed acute, critical spinal cord compression requiring immediate emergency decompressive surgery. The settlement secured by attorneys McKeen and Lee guarantees the client comprehensive funding for the highest quality of specialized medical care and supportive therapies for the remainder of her life.

McKeen & Associates trial attorneys Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee achieved a $1,100,000 settlement in an emergency medicine malpractice action involving the delayed recognition and negligent treatment of an acute ischemic stroke on behalf of a 71-year-old patient.

Upon hospital presentation, emergency room clinicians failed to appreciate the patient’s presenting neurological indicators of an acute stroke and failed to timely order a STAT stroke workup, precipitating an egregious delay in critical intervention. By the time the medical staff correctly diagnosed the stroke, the vital therapeutic window for administering tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) had expired. Due to this avoidable delay, the patient sustained permanent neurological deficits and now requires round-the-clock assistance from family members for all daily living activities.

Attorneys Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee of McKeen & Associates, P.C. recovered a $1,375,000 settlement in a complex medical negligence claim involving the delayed recognition and treatment of an inpatient ischemic stroke.

The client, an 81-year-old man, was initially admitted to the hospital for the evaluation and treatment of abdominal pain. During his inpatient stay, he developed progressive weakness in his right arm—a definitive indicator of cerebral ischemia. Rather than immediately initiating an emergent stroke protocol, the attending physician erroneously attributed the patient’s focal neurological deficit to pre-existing cervical disc disease. The physician failed to perform any diagnostic imaging or neurological testing until the following morning. By that time, the window for administering clot-dissolving tPA therapy had closed, inflicting permanent neurological damage on the patient.

McKeen & Associates, P.C. attorneys Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee secured a $1,400,000 settlement on behalf of a 48-year-old male client in a medical malpractice lawsuit involving the delayed recognition and negligent management of an acute myocardial infarction.

The patient presented to the emergency department exhibiting classic signs of acute coronary distress. The emergency room providers failed to properly interpret his initial electrocardiogram (EKG), failed to timely repeat the study as standard cardiac protocols dictate, and failed to consult with cardiology regarding his presentation. By the time the patient was finally transported for cardiac catheterization, he had sustained severe, irreversible damage to his heart. The client now suffers from a significantly reduced ejection fraction and requires specialized cardiology care for the remainder of his life.

In May 2024, a Michigan jury found physicians and medical staff at Michigan Orthopaedic Spine Surgeries, P.C. negligent in their evaluation and clinical management of patient Patricia Stoll. The case involved a physician’s assistant and two orthopedic spine surgeons who failed to follow up on a suspicious mass documented on a diagnostic CT myelogram.

Four months after the initial scan went unaddressed, repeat imaging revealed that the mass had doubled in size, leading another clinician to diagnose cancer. The jury awarded damages to Stoll for pain and suffering and to her husband for loss of consortium. McKeen & Associates founder Brian McKeen emphasized that physicians have a strict legal duty to communicate test findings to patients and make timely referrals for follow-up imaging when recommended. Following tumor resection surgery, Stoll is now cancer-free.

McKeen & Associates, P.C. attorneys Brian McKeen, Kenneth Lee, and Robert Darling (of Counsel) secured a $1,200,000 settlement in March 2024 in a complex products liability lawsuit heard in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

The wrongful death lawsuit was brought on behalf of the surviving family of a 35-year-old man who suffered fatal injuries while operating a heavy hydraulic press in an industrial workplace setting. The litigation established that the machinery was defectively manufactured and unreasonably dangerous due to production defects concerning its electrical control programming, holding the equipment manufacturer accountable for devastating safety failures.

McKeen & Associates, P.C. attorneys Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee secured an $800,000 recovery in March 2024 on behalf of a client who suffered severe complications from a delayed diagnosis and treatment of a spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM). The avoidable diagnostic delay resulted in extended hospitalization and the ongoing need for specialized future medical care.

Multiple other personal injury law firms had previously declined this challenging case. McKeen & Associates developed the winning legal theory, retained premier medical expert witnesses, and conducted aggressive depositions that forced key concessions from the defense. This settlement ensures the client has access to the vital medical and rehabilitative therapies required moving forward.

Attorneys Andrew Kay and Leon Walsh of McKeen & Associates, P.C. secured a $600,000 jury verdict in the Oakland County Circuit Court on behalf of the grieving family of a 49-year-old woman who died as a direct consequence of medical negligence.

The patient presented to healthcare providers exhibiting acute, alarming gastrointestinal symptoms consistent with an intestinal blockage. Despite these clear warning signs, providers failed to perform adequate diagnostic evaluations, timely surgical consults, or appropriate treatment. This unreasonable failure to diagnose permitted the bowel obstruction to progress to fatal complications, resulting in the patient’s preventable death.

McKeen & Associates attorneys Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee achieved a $750,000 settlement on behalf of a patient who suffered permanent optic nerve injury during a routine cataract procedure due to low-tension glaucoma “snuff out.”

Our attorneys established that the client’s preoperative testing, including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual field exams, revealed multiple clear indicators of low-tension glaucoma that strictly required repeat testing and preoperative medical stabilization. Providers proceeded with cataract surgery without treating the condition. The defense asserted that the injury resulted from unavoidable ischemic optic neuropathy, but McKeen lawyers dismantled that defense through relentless depositions of the treating surgeon and defense experts, securing vital concessions that defeated their claims.

McKeen & Associates, P.C. attorneys Kenneth Lee and Brian McKeen recently won an $11 million verdict in the Wayne County Circuit Court on behalf of a Macomb County woman who lost all four of her parathyroid glands during a thyroidectomy.

The parathyroid glands are essential for regulating calcium levels in the body, and standard surgical protocol requires preserving at least one gland during a thyroidectomy to maintain normal calcium function. Due to the surgeon’s negligence, the patient now suffers from an incurable condition called permanent hypoparathyroidism. She will require strict, lifelong medical treatment and monitoring to manage this severe hormonal deficiency.

Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee recently obtained an $825,000 settlement on behalf of a 69-year-old man who suffered a catastrophic stroke shortly after undergoing surgical removal of his prostate.

The patient presented with several well-documented stroke risk factors, including a history of transient ischemic attacks (TIA), hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and carotid artery disease. Following his surgery, he experienced ongoing, unmanaged hypertension and developing neurological symptoms that warranted an immediate neurology consult. Instead of providing necessary intervention, hospital staff negligently discharged him. Just three days later, the patient suffered a preventable stroke, leaving him with permanent, significant right-sided weakness. McKeen lawyers successfully assembled top-tier medical experts to overcome aggressive liability defenses and secure this recovery.

Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee recovered a $1,425,000 settlement on behalf of a 48-year-old man whose untreated cervical spinal epidural abscess caused irreversible paralysis.

The patient presented to the emergency department on two separate occasions with escalating neck and shoulder pain, arm weakness, and abnormal bloodwork. Both times, providers failed to perform an appropriate diagnostic workup and discharged him without a definitive diagnosis. As the infection progressed, the abscess severely compressed his spinal cord, rendering him paralyzed from the waist down. By the time emergency decompression surgery was finally performed, the spinal damage was permanent.

Tragically, the client died while the case was in litigation. Had he survived, the recovery for future medical care would have been staggering—highlighting a flaw in Michigan law that financially shields negligent defendants when their patient dies before resolution.

McKeen & Associates, P.C. attorneys Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee obtained a $1,000,000 settlement on behalf of the surviving family of a 48-year-old male patient who suffered preventable fatal complications during an inpatient hospital stay.

The patient presented with complex, high-risk pre-existing medical conditions, including hemophilia and liver cirrhosis, which required heightened pharmacological vigilance and rigorous clinical monitoring. Hospital healthcare providers negligently administered contraindicated or improperly dosed medications and failed to monitor the patient’s critical response to therapy. This standard-of-care breach directly precipitated catastrophic physical deterioration and the patient’s premature death, holding the health facility accountable for reckless pharmaceutical errors.

McKeen & Associates, P.C. attorneys Kenneth Lee and Brian McKeen secured a $1,000,000 settlement on behalf of a woman whose health was severely compromised due to standard-of-care violations during and immediately following a gynecological surgical procedure.

The client underwent surgery intended to treat endometrial disease. However, negligent surgical technique during the intervention and deficient post-operative care permitted surgical injuries and complications to go unrecognized. As a direct consequence of the providers’ failure to exercise due medical care, the patient endured excruciating pain, extended hospital admissions, and multiple successive corrective surgeries to repair the internal physical damage.

Attorneys Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee of McKeen & Associates, P.C. obtained a $1,000,000 settlement for a 90-year-old client whose life was irrevocably altered by diagnostic and surgical delays.

The patient developed symptoms indicative of acute spinal cord compromise stemming from an expanding spinal epidural hematoma. Despite clear neurological warning signs, healthcare providers failed to timely investigate, properly diagnose, or urgently decompress the spinal collection. By the time medical intervention was finally rendered, the prolonged pressure exerted on the spinal cord had produced irreversible neurological damage, leaving the elderly client permanently paralyzed.

McKeen & Associates, P.C. attorneys Brian McKeen and Kenneth Lee achieved a $1,000,000 settlement on behalf of a hospitalized client whose health was devastated by standard-of-care breaches in pharmaceutical administration.

While admitted to the hospital, the patient was prescribed and administered the potent opioid analgesic Dilaudid (hydromorphone). Healthcare personnel negligently failed to properly monitor the drug’s dosage, failed to track the patient’s respiratory and metabolic tolerances, and failed to recognize developing toxicity. As a direct consequence of unmonitored opioid toxicity, the patient suffered profound physiological trauma resulting in permanent kidney damage and chronic cognitive deficits requiring ongoing supportive care.

In Blazo vs. McLaren Regional Medical Center, McKeen & Associates secured a landmark $22 million jury verdict—recognized as the largest medical malpractice recovery in the history of Genesee County, Michigan.

The expectant mother, 30 weeks pregnant with twins, presented to McLaren Regional Medical Center for outpatient carpal tunnel surgery. While in the recovery unit, she reported active contractions. Following a brief period of monitoring, the nurse spoke with the attending obstetrician and discharged the mother home. The following morning, she awoke in advanced labor with the twins in complete breech presentation, necessitating an immediate emergency cesarean delivery.

The twins suffered severe consequences of extreme prematurity, resulting in neurocognitive impairment. The male twin was subsequently victimized by an inpatient hospital sodium overdose, precipitating an acute pediatric stroke and mild cerebral palsy.

McKeen & Associates, P.C. secured a historic $22 million verdict on behalf of a Milwaukee family whose newborn daughter sustained catastrophic, permanent brain damage due to delivery room malpractice at a federally funded community health center.

Litigated under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), the lawsuit established that healthcare providers committed egregious standard-of-care violations during delivery. McKeen trial attorneys proved that the child was allowed to remain trapped in the birth canal for more than 20 minutes without urgent intervention, causing severe oxygen deprivation and irreversible hypoxic brain damage that will require lifetime care.

In Heister vs. Surulli, McKeen & Associates secured a $19.8 million jury verdict predicated upon an attending obstetrician’s failure to deliver acceptable antenatal care. During routine prenatal examinations, the physician failed to recognize clinical evidence of oligohydramnios (critically decreased amniotic fluid), a recognized risk factor and identifier of severe fetal compromise.

As a direct consequence of the unreasonable delay in expediting delivery, the infant suffered acute meconium aspiration syndrome and profound, permanent cognitive impairment. The defense argued that cognitive impairment unaccompanied by cerebral palsy could not be attributed to antenatal or perinatal asphyxia. McKeen trial attorneys successfully dismantled this defense, proving that hypoxia and ischemic injury manifest through diverse forms of permanent brain damage, with or without overt physical cerebral palsy.

In Estate of Sabrie Nash v. Children’s Hospital of Michigan, et al., McKeen & Associates secured a $19 million jury verdict for the wrongful death of a medically fragile infant twin born prematurely at 25 weeks with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypertension.

When the infant was rushed to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan emergency department exhibiting severe respiratory distress, cyanosis, and hypoxia, the resident and attending physicians misread a chest x-ray that showed focal infiltrates consistent with pneumonia. Assuming the infant had stabilized following temporary bronchodilator therapy, the doctors discharged her late at night without an in-home pulse oximeter or pediatric intensive care admission. Within 36 hours, the child suffered acute respiratory arrest and passed away from bilateral bacterial bronchopneumonia. McKeen trial attorneys proved standard-of-care violations and exposed hospital medical record access tampering following the infant’s death, leading the jury to reject the defense’s position.

McKeen & Associates achieved a landmark $16,200,000 confidential settlement on behalf of a minor child who suffered profound, irreversible neurological injuries during delivery. As a result of standard-of-care breaches by healthcare providers, the infant sustained extensive hypoxic damage resulting in severe spastic cerebral palsy.

The condition produced severe motor impairment, rigid extremities, involuntary muscle spasms, cognitive delays, and an elevated risk for secondary complications including epilepsy and sensory loss. Under the negotiated terms of this resolution, the names of the child, facility, and attending medical personnel remain anonymous. This recovery guarantees full, comprehensive funding for specialized therapies, home modifications, and 24-hour attendant medical care for the child’s entire lifetime.

An expectant mother presented to Riverside Hospital for induction of labor at term. Following the administration of Pitocin, continuous fetal heart monitoring revealed severe episodes of umbilical cord compression and variable heart rate decelerations. Although maternal repositioning temporarily alleviated the compression and restored normal baseline heart tones, an obstetrical resident negligently granted the patient permission to use the bathroom, requiring a position change and complete discontinuation of the electronic fetal monitor.

During the 11-minute unmonitored window, acute umbilical cord compression recurred undetected, subjecting the fetus to severe oxygen deprivation. Following an emergent cesarean section delivery, the infant was born in a profoundly depressed, asphyxiated condition resulting in severe spastic cerebral palsy and cognitive deficits. The hospital claimed fetal heart tones were reassuring prior to disconnecting the equipment. McKeen & Associates successfully argued that removing the monitor following documented decelerations created an unreasonable hazard that squandered the critical window to perform an immediate C-section before irreversible brain damage occurred.

A 21-year-old college student presented to a Level III perinatal facility at 37 weeks gestation complaining of acute abdominal pain, headache, and visual disturbances. Clinical evaluations confirmed pre-eclampsia and intrauterine fetal demise. Attending medical providers negligently failed to diagnose an active placental abruption and failed to recognize the onset of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), an acute life-threatening consumptive coagulopathy.

Healthcare personnel delayed delivery and failed to administer necessary blood volume and replacement coagulation factors. Following delivery, the patient experienced massive postpartum hemorrhage and cardiopulmonary arrest, going without cerebral oxygen for 12 to 15 minutes. This prolonged asphyxia caused severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), leaving the young woman with quadriparesis, cortical blindness, and executive cognitive deficits. Despite the attending physician carrying only $200,000 in malpractice insurance, McKeen & Associates successfully established hospital nursing liability, proving staff breached the standard of care by failing to initiate the chain of command to secure emergent physician intervention.

Plaintiff Julie Harris, an experienced obstetrical nurse, presented to primary care physician Bonnie Hafeman, M.D. with fever and chills, leading to a diagnosis of sepsis secondary to a rare Rhodococcus equi infection. Following hospitalization at Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital, the physician established an outpatient intravenous regimen of Tobramycin, a potent aminoglycoside antibiotic carrying severe known risks of ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity requiring continuous serum peak and trough laboratory monitoring.

Despite critically elevated lab levels and progressive clinical complaints of headaches, memory clouding, and unrelenting pain, Dr. Hafeman and dispensing pharmacists failed to conduct mandatory peak and trough tests or review abnormal renal panels. By the time Harris was readmitted, her bloodstream contained five times the toxic threshold of Tobramycin, resulting in acute kidney failure, permanent eighth cranial nerve palsy, and bilateral vestibular disease. The injury caused severe equilibrium loss, cognitive deficits, and career-ending physical disability. The jury rejected defense arguments alleging the toxicity was a lifesaving trade-off, returning a unanimous $9.3 million verdict after less than four hours of deliberation.

Following the child’s premature birth, she underwent a specialist consultation to screen for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Although ophthalmological evaluations confirmed bilateral ROP in both eyes and a treatment plan was formulated, no subsequent follow-up care was coordinated or delivered due to breakdowns in physician communication.

Six critical months elapsed without medical intervention, during which the untreated vascular proliferation advanced to Stage 5 ROP—the most severe stage of total retinal detachment—causing irreversible, permanent blindness. McKeen & Associates, P.C. successfully established that standard-of-care follow-up and timely laser or cryotherapy treatment would have preserved the child’s vision, securing a $7.53 million recovery to provide specialized lifetime care and educational resources.

During labor induction, an attending obstetrician and obstetrical nurse failed to recognize that the aggressive administration of Pitocin was inducing tachysystole (excessively frequent uterine contractions). The unrelenting uterine stress prevented adequate blood and oxygen exchange through the placenta, severely compromising the fetus’s ability to tolerate labor.

Although the mother explicitly consented to a cesarean section, healthcare providers negligently continued Pitocin augmentation rather than expediting delivery. The baby subsequently plunged into severe fetal bradycardia, causing acute intrapartum asphyxia. As a direct consequence of the prolonged hypoxia and delayed surgical delivery, the infant sustained permanent brain injury, spastic cerebral palsy, and lifelong developmental disabilities.

Pediatricians and nursery nurses at the delivery hospital failed to adhere to mandatory neonatal glucose monitoring protocols. Healthcare providers discharged the newborn home before clinically establishing that the infant could maintain safe, normal blood sugar levels on oral feedings alone without supplemental intravenous support.

Following the premature hospital discharge, the unmonitored infant developed acute, profound neonatal hypoglycemia (severe low blood sugar) at home. Deprived of glucose, the infant’s brain suffered extensive cellular injury resulting in permanent neurological deficits, severe developmental delays, and the necessity for lifelong medical and supportive therapies.

The infant was born at full term but was clinically classified as small for gestational age (SGA), an established risk factor that requires rigorous neonatal blood glucose surveillance. Despite these clinical indicators, the attending pediatrician and nursery nursing staff failed to properly check the infant’s blood sugar prior to feedings to verify that the baby could maintain safe glycemic control on oral nutrition alone without intravenous supplementation.

The hospital prematurely discharged the infant home. Within 12 hours of discharge, the mother rushed the baby back to the hospital in critical condition with profound hypoglycemia. Deprived of vital glucose, the child sustained severe, irreversible brain damage and permanent developmental delays that will require specialized, 24-hour attendant medical care for the remainder of his life.

A 1-month-old infant was airlifted to a trauma center following an accidental driveway trauma. Upon initial admission, the child was evaluated and noted to be neurologically intact. Several hours after admission, hospital staff observed that the infant had developed acute weakness in his hand grasp, signaling a potential focal neurological compromise. A physician ordered a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) on a STAT (immediate emergency) basis to evaluate the cranial and cervical vasculature.

The defendant hospital negligently failed to obtain the diagnostic imaging study in a STAT manner. Due to this hospital delay, an active internal carotid artery dissection went unrecognized and untreated, causing the child to suffer a massive ischemic stroke. McKeen & Associates, P.C. established that the hospital’s failure to execute the STAT order squandered the window to administer anticoagulation therapy or perform endovascular stenting to restore blood flow. The child now suffers from a chronic seizure disorder and permanent hemiparesis.

An expectant mother at 35 weeks gestation was directed to the hospital by her obstetrician due to acute complaints of decreased fetal movement. Upon arrival, an obstetrical resident with only six months of residency experience and an obstetrical nurse evaluated the mother and placed her on electronic fetal monitoring.

The medical team failed to properly interpret the non-reassuring electronic fetal monitor strips, missing definitive indications of active fetal distress requiring an immediate emergency cesarean section. Due to the prolonged delay in delivery, the infant endured acute perinatal asphyxia and profound oxygen deprivation, resulting in severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The child has been diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy and permanent developmental delays requiring lifelong supportive therapy.

An expectant mother with a history of multiple previous cesarean deliveries was scheduled for a planned repeat C-section at 37 weeks gestation. At 35 weeks, she presented to the hospital complaining of severe, acute abdominal pain and requested an emergent cesarean delivery. Hospital personnel denied her request, improperly informing her that abdominal pain alone was insufficient justification to deliver early.

Attending healthcare providers negligently failed to recognize that an acute uterine rupture was actively developing. When the complete uterine rupture transpired, the infant was subjected to prolonged intrapartum asphyxia, resulting in profound hypoxic ischemic brain damage, spastic cerebral palsy, and lifelong cognitive deficits. The hospital claimed delivering a 35-week premature infant was contraindicated. McKeen & Associates, P.C. proved that the child possessed mature lungs and that standard diagnostic testing would have established lung maturity, which the defense’s own expert conceded strictly mandated an immediate cesarean delivery.

A 44-year-old man presented to the defendant hospital for the clinical treatment of Guillain-Barré Syndrome and underwent plasmapheresis administered through a central venous catheter inserted in his internal jugular vein. Following the conclusion of therapy, two resident physicians were tasked with removing the catheter.

The resident doctors ignored universally accepted clinical techniques for central catheter extraction by failing to place the patient in the supine position and failing to direct him to execute a breath-hold (Valsalva) maneuver. Consequently, when the line was pulled, ambient air entered the open venous channel, causing a massive air embolism that migrated directly to the patient’s cerebral vasculature. The resulting severe anoxic and ischemic injury left the client with profound, permanent brain damage requiring lifelong supportive medical care.

A 41-year-old woman underwent robotic-assisted tongue-resection surgery at the defendant hospital. Following the procedure, the attending surgeon issued clear post-operative physician orders directing nursing staff to administer Hydralazine if the patient’s systolic blood pressure exceeded 140 mm Hg to prevent acute vascular rupture.

On post-operative day two, the patient’s systolic pressure exceeded 140 mm Hg, but nursing personnel failed to administer the ordered medication. Across multiple shift changes and into the next morning, the patient’s blood pressure escalated past 200 mm Hg, yet nurses continued to withhold the medication. On post-operative day three, the unmanaged hypertension caused massive bleeding into her oral airway. The code team experienced severe difficulty intubating the patient due to profuse hemorrhaging, causing prolonged cerebral hypoxia. The patient sustained severe anoxic brain injury, remained in a persistent vegetative state for 18 months, and ultimately passed away.

A 49-year-old woman traveling from Florida to Michigan with her husband and three children presented to a local emergency department complaining of severe abdominal pain. An abdominal CT scan revealed an obstructing kidney stone in her right ureter. Based on that radiological finding, the attending emergency physician ordered a urinalysis to evaluate for an active urinary tract infection (UTI).

Hospital nursing personnel completely failed to perform the ordered urinalysis. Despite knowing that the mandatory testing had never been conducted, the emergency physician discharged the patient home without antibiotics or infection control. The untreated infection rapidly developed into fulminant urosepsis, causing the patient’s preventable death three days later.

A 53-year-old man underwent an elective hemorrhoidal banding procedure despite having no documented symptoms or medical indication. Days later, he presented to an emergency department with excruciating rectal pain, fever, chills, nausea, and a white blood cell count exceeding 16,000. Ignoring clear clinical indicators of post-procedure infection, the emergency physician improperly discharged him home with a diagnosis of “the flu.”

When the patient was sent back to the hospital due to worsening condition, he was left untreated for hours until a patient advocate intervened. A surgical resident subsequently failed to appreciate the severity of his condition, delaying general surgical intervention until the next morning. By that time, the infectious process had become unsalvageable, and the patient passed away from severe septic shock.

A 23-year-old mother of two presented to the emergency department six weeks postpartum and was diagnosed with an acute ruptured appendix. During emergency surgery, the appendix was documented as heavily infected with necrotic gangrenous tissue. The surgeon employed substandard surgical technique by closing the patient’s subcutaneous tissue and skin primarily, trapping the virulent infection within the abdominal wall rather than leaving it open to drain.

The contained infection disseminated throughout her body, necessitating five subsequent invasive surgeries and repeated exposures to general anesthesia and intravenous contrast. The overwhelming infectious process and systemic stress compromised her renal function, ultimately triggering a fatal cardiac arrhythmia that led to her untimely death.

A 77-year-old male patient presented to the defendant hospital’s emergency department with an acute onset of lower extremity weakness and paresthesia. The patient had recently been temporarily taken off his prescribed anticoagulation regimen following a prior surgical procedure, placing him at heightened risk for thromboembolic events.

Although his clinical presentation steadily worsened to include escalating pain, coolness, and physical discoloration in the leg, attending emergency room physicians completely failed to consider an acute arterial injury and neglected to order diagnostic arterial imaging studies. Due to this catastrophic delay in diagnosis, the untreated arterial occlusion caused irreversible tissue necrosis, requiring three invasive surgical procedures that culminated in an above-the-knee amputation of his left leg. During litigation, one of the defendant physicians admitted that the arterial occlusion went undiagnosed and untreated because the hospital was understaffed during the Christmas holiday and the medical staff was distracted.

Following birth, medical providers failed to detect and investigate a congenital dermoid cyst located near the spinal column of a newborn infant. Despite physical indications that warranted thorough neurological and diagnostic imaging assessments, attending clinicians overlooked the condition.

As the undiagnosed cyst expanded, it exerted compressive pressure on spinal nerve roots governing autonomic function. By the time physicians finally identified the spinal mass, prolonged nerve compression had inflicted permanent, irreversible neurological damage. The child sustained total loss of bowel and bladder control, necessitating lifetime catheterization, specialized medical management, and ongoing urological therapies.

During labor and delivery, continuous electronic fetal monitoring demonstrated protracted non-reassuring heart tracings indicative of progressive fetal distress. Attending obstetrical nursing staff placed repeated, urgent phone calls to the on-call obstetrician documenting the worsening clinical emergency.

Despite receiving explicit notification of continuous fetal compromise spanning several hours, the physician unreasonably delayed traveling to the hospital to evaluate the patient and expedite delivery. Due to this severe delivery delay, the infant suffered prolonged intrapartum asphyxia and was delivered in a profoundly depressed condition, resulting in spastic cerebral palsy and permanent cognitive and physical developmental disabilities.

In Lozen vs. Prigg, an expectant mother noted decreased fetal movement and notified her treating obstetrician, Dr. David Prigg, who negligently instructed her merely to increase hydration and elevate her feet. When the mother called again the following morning reporting absent fetal movement, the physician finally directed her to Riverside Osteopathic Hospital.

Upon arrival, fetal monitoring revealed absent heart rate variability and severe decelerations, while an ultrasound confirmed oligohydramnios with zero fetal movement. While the patient was being prepped for an emergency cesarean section, prolonged bradycardia occurred. The infant was delivered without a heartbeat or spontaneous movement, and neither a neonatologist nor pediatrician was present in the delivery suite. Following emergency resuscitation, the child was transferred to the University of Michigan Hospital and diagnosed with acute hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), leaving her with severe permanent brain damage and spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

An expectant mother presented to the hospital exhibiting non-reassuring fetal monitor strips. Rather than admitting her for continuous obstetrical observation or expediting delivery, resident physicians negligently discharged her home. When the mother returned to the hospital the following morning, the fetus was experiencing profound, acute fetal distress.

Despite the critical emergency, hospital staff continued to delay surgical delivery. As a direct result of the prolonged oxygen deprivation, the child sustained permanent hypoxic brain damage manifesting as spastic cerebral palsy. McKeen & Associates tenaciously pursued the claim through complex litigation and successfully resolved the action after the defendant healthcare facility sought federal bankruptcy protection.

An expectant mother was admitted to the hospital labor and delivery unit for elective labor induction with Pitocin. Attending nursing staff administered excessive dosages of the contraction-inducing medication, causing uterine tachysystole and hyperstimulation that severely restricted vital blood flow and oxygen exchange across the placenta.

Over several hours, the infant’s electronic fetal heart rate monitor showed progressive abnormalities indicating acute fetal compromise and the urgent need for a cesarean section. By the time the attending obstetrician finally arrived and performed the C-section, the infant had suffered acute asphyxiation. The child sustained permanent brain damage resulting in mild cerebral palsy and lifelong learning disabilities.

A 71-year-old man residing in a long-term care facility required a strict puree diet due to dysphagia and swallowing impairment caused by a recent stroke. Facility records and physician orders explicitly documented that solid foods posed a severe choking hazard.

In blatant disregard of these physician orders, nursing home staff served the patient solid pieces of whole chicken. The resident ingested the food, choked, and experienced airway obstruction leading to catastrophic cardiopulmonary arrest. The prolonged oxygen deprivation caused severe anoxic brain damage, ultimately resulting in his wrongful death. McKeen & Associates held the long-term care facility accountable for systemic dietary oversight and negligent resident care.

A 69-year-old man presented to the defendant hospital to undergo an elective, routine outpatient colonoscopy. During the endoscopic procedure, the patient was heavily over-sedated with propofol, precipitating profound respiratory depression and hemodynamic instability.

Despite monitoring equipment documenting recurrent, alarming episodes of severe bradycardia (dangerously low heart rate) and oxygen desaturation, the gastroenterologist and anesthesia care team failed to intervene, adjust sedation, or secure the airway. The patient suffered intraoperative cardiopulmonary arrest requiring emergency resuscitation and immediate transfer to the intensive care unit. Although resuscitated, the prolonged lack of oxygen caused massive, irreversible anoxic brain injury. The patient survived in a comatose state for three days before life support was withdrawn.

A 47-year-old woman with a clinical history of prior lumbar surgery presented with severe symptoms confirmed to be a herniated disc at the L4/L5 vertebral level. During surgery, the defendant neurosurgeon negligently operated at the incorrect spinal level, performing a procedure at L3/L4 while leaving the symptomatic pathology at L4/L5 completely unaddressed.

Because the original herniation persisted, the patient was forced to undergo an invasive revision surgery to decompress the L4/L5 disc space. The trauma of sequential surgeries inflicted severe bilateral radicular nerve damage, chronic neuropathic pain, and total employment disability. The defense argued that pre-existing degenerative conditions would have disabled the patient regardless; however, McKeen & Associates successfully overcame this defense by establishing that the unneeded surgical trauma was the direct proximate cause of her permanent physical impairment.

An expectant mother over age 40 was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, dual high-risk clinical factors mandating weekly biophysical profiles and serial ultrasound examinations to assess fetal well-being and growth velocity. The attending obstetricians negligently failed to initiate weekly ultrasound monitoring, allowing progressive intrauterine fetal growth deceleration to go undetected.

When diagnostic ultrasound was belatedly performed, it demonstrated critical fetal compromise requiring immediate delivery by cesarean section. Although the mother was admitted to the hospital labor unit, medical personnel permitted an unconscionable hours-long delay before taking her to the operating room. Due to prolonged placental insufficiency and delayed surgical intervention, the child sustained irreversible hypoxic brain damage resulting in spastic cerebral palsy and permanent developmental delay.

A 38-year-old single mother of two teenage daughters suffered a catastrophic, preventable ischemic stroke following months of medical mismanagement. The patient suffered from a chronic gastrointestinal disorder characterized by recurrent, severe fluid loss and protracted intravascular dehydration.

Despite treating the patient across multiple admissions and outpatient visits over several months, attending physicians failed to appreciate that chronic dehydration creates hyperviscosity and drastically elevates the risk of cerebral blood clot formation. Standard medical care dictated the timely administration of prophylactic anticoagulant therapy to mitigate thrombotic complications. Because anticoagulation was withheld, the patient developed cerebral thrombosis resulting in a major stroke. The injury produced permanent cognitive and motor deficits, leaving the client unable to return to her career and dependent upon daily living assistance for life.

During labor and delivery, an acute obstetrical emergency arose when the infant’s anterior shoulder became lodged behind the maternal pubic bone, presenting a critical shoulder dystocia. Universally accepted obstetrical and nursing standards strictly forbid the application of uterine fundal pressure during shoulder dystocia, as pushing downward on the maternal abdomen forces the fetal shoulder more tightly against the pubic bone.

In direct violation of established delivery room protocols, attending nurses executed forceful fundal pressure. This negligent maneuver severely impacted the fetal shoulder, producing violent traction across the cervical spinal nerves and causing extensive avulsion and stretch injuries to the child’s brachial plexus network. The child sustained permanent Erb’s palsy and neurological deficits, resulting in lifelong limitation of motion, muscle weakness, and functional impairment of the upper extremity.

A patient presented for diagnostic computed tomography (CT) imaging requiring the intravenous administration of iodinated contrast media. Clinical records documented known sensitivities and severe allergic risks requiring a standardized preoperative steroid and antihistamine prophylactic regimen before any contrast could be administered safely.

Attending radiological and nursing staff failed to verify allergy documentation and administered the intravenous contrast without providing the required allergy premedication. The patient suffered acute, catastrophic anaphylactic shock within minutes of injection, leading to acute laryngeal edema, cardiovascular collapse, and respiratory arrest. Despite emergency resuscitation efforts, the massive systemic reaction caused irreversible brain death and fatal complications, holding the medical facility accountable for reckless pharmacological oversight.

A patient presented to the hospital following an acute traumatic head injury. Although an initial computed tomography (CT) scan of the head was negative for active intracranial bleeding at the time of presentation, standard medical protocols dictate extreme caution when managing head trauma in patients taking anticoagulants.

The attending medical personnel negligently failed to hold the patient’s prescription for Coumadin (warfarin), a powerful systemic blood thinner. Because the medication was not withheld during the critical post-injury observation window, the patient was exposed to a severe, unwarranted risk of delayed cerebral hemorrhage and catastrophic neurological compromise. McKeen & Associates held the facility accountable for this dangerous pharmacological oversight.

A 44-year-old woman presented to her local emergency department three distinct times over a four-day period complaining of a sudden onset of excruciating, progressively worsening back pain. During each visit, she explicitly informed healthcare providers that she was actively taking anticoagulation medication, a clinical factor well known to expose patients to high risks of abnormal internal bleeding.

Despite her escalating symptoms and known bleeding risks, emergency room physicians repeatedly failed to order any diagnostic imaging studies, catastrophically delaying the diagnosis of a developing cervical epidural hematoma. Seeking answers, the patient ultimately fled to a different hospital where she was immediately diagnosed with the life-threatening spinal hemorrhage and rushed into emergent surgical decompression to prevent permanent paralysis.

An expectant mother was admitted for labor and delivery, and medical staff utilized Pitocin to augment her contractions. Despite the artificial induction, the mother experienced a prolonged failure to progress in labor. The attending obstetrician and obstetrical residents negligently failed to recognize the halted progression and unreasonably delayed performing an emergency cesarean section.

As a result of the prolonged, stressful labor environment, the fetus passed meconium in utero and inhaled the contaminated amniotic fluid. The child was born with severe meconium aspiration syndrome requiring extensive, prolonged treatment in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The traumatic birth and subsequent respiratory complications caused the minor child to sustain permanent hearing loss and lifelong cognitive developmental delays.

A 64-year-old patient underwent a spinal laminectomy to treat a disc herniation. During the procedure, the operating neurosurgeon accidentally punctured the dura, causing a cerebrospinal fluid leak that was subsequently repaired. Post-operatively, the patient exhibited significant radiating back and leg pain alongside perineal numbness—classic hallmark indicators of acute spinal cord compromise.

An MRI was ordered which clearly demonstrated an epidural fluid collection actively constricting the spinal cord. However, the neurosurgeon remained unaware of the critical MRI report for hours and negligently failed to perform a timely surgical re-exploration. Due to this critical delay in decompressing the spine, the patient developed Cauda Equina Syndrome, resulting in permanent loss of bowel and bladder function (neurogenic bladder) requiring lifelong specialized care.

An 80-year-old man with multiple documented risk factors for arterial insufficiency presented to a local emergency department experiencing a sudden onset of profound weakness and numbness in his leg. Despite the patient exhibiting no typical neurological stroke symptoms, attending healthcare providers incorrectly initiated a stroke protocol.

Critically, the emergency room staff completely failed to perform any vascular testing or Doppler imaging to rule out a potential arterial injury. As a direct result of this standard-of-care violation, the patient’s acute right lower extremity ischemia went undiagnosed and untreated. The resulting tissue necrosis necessitated three invasive surgeries, ultimately culminating in an above-the-knee amputation of the patient’s right leg.

A 52-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital for the treatment of presumed sepsis. To facilitate the delivery of necessary intravenous medications, the attending physician attempted to insert a central venous catheter into the patient’s internal jugular vein.

During the procedure, the physician committed a catastrophic anatomical error, negligently inserting the catheter directly into the patient’s carotid artery. This improper arterial placement triggered the formation of a severe blood clot within the artery. The clot subsequently embolized, traveling to the patient’s middle cerebral artery and causing a massive, irreversible stroke that ultimately resulted in her wrongful death.

During labor and delivery, maternal progress was advancing normally with reassuring fetal heart tones and zero clinical indications of fetal compromise or maternal exhaustion. Despite the lack of medical justification, the attending obstetrician informed the laboring mother that he would employ a vacuum extractor to complete the delivery.

Healthcare providers failed to provide adequate information regarding the substantial risks associated with operative vaginal delivery, denying the mother the opportunity to make an informed decision or refuse the intervention. The traction forces exerted by the vacuum extractor caused traumatic mechanical injury to the neonatal skull and vasculature, resulting in an intracranial hemorrhage (brain bleed). Consequently, the child developed a chronic seizure disorder and long-term learning disabilities requiring ongoing educational interventions and specialized medical management.

McKeen & Associates appellate attorney Tali Wendrow achieved a decisive victory in the Michigan Court of Appeals on behalf of a client who suffered catastrophic injuries during a botched thyroidectomy performed by a local surgeon.

The Michigan Court of Appeals panel unanimously affirmed the trial verdict of a Wayne County jury, which awarded the McKeen client nearly $11 million in damages specifically allocated for future medical care. McKeen & Associates attorney Kenneth Lee originally tried the underlying surgical malpractice lawsuit, where the jury returned a unanimous finding of negligence against the defendant surgeon for severing all four parathyroid glands. The appellate panel’s decision preserves full financial coverage for the client’s permanent, lifelong medical treatment needs.