Doctor Must Pay $5M to Patient

Christina Cole

Contributor

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

An Albany woman has been awarded $5M in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The lawsuit involved Albany gynecologist, William Sewell over a surgical procedure performed back in 1998.

Thursday, a Dougherty County State Court returned a verdict in her favor. The Doctor's layers are appealing the hefty verdict.

Benita Davis Parker, 27, went to her gynecologist Dr. William Sewell, for a tubal ligation six years ago. The procedure was to have her ovarian tubes tied to prevent pregnancy. But complications arose when they discovered two large ovarian cysts that nearly cost her - her life.

Parker claims when Dr. William Sewell removed the two large cysts that they ruptured. She claims material left in her body from the ruptured cysts led to serious infection that, only two months later led to a hysterectomy and removal of more than three feet of her large intestine. Her lawyer says she endured years of suffering.

But not so fast, says Dr. Sewell's attorney. Attorney Dawn Benson tells us she plans to appeal the verdict.

She says Sewell properly removed the cysts, but says Parker had a rare and unforeseeable complication, which inflamed her pelvis. Benson claims the inflammation was a result of Parker's genes and not from infection from the ruptured cysts.

Parker's attorney's feel an appeal won't work. They say the evidence will stand.