Judge: High court wants juries to hear issues, decide cases

Hampton jury awards $25M in med-mal case

By Sarah Rodriguez
Published: February 25, 2013
Tags: Hampton Circuit Court, Medical Malpractice, Million-Dollar Verdicts

A Hampton jury has returned a record-setting $25 million verdict to a Mathews County man who suffered a massive heart attack after a cardiologist failed to detect an artery blockage. The award appears to be the largest personal injury award out of Hampton, and the largest medical malpractice verdict in Virginia state court. Attorneys for [...]

Failure to detect heart condition nets record verdict in Hampton – $25,000,000 Verdict

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: February 25, 2013
Tags: Hampton Circuit Court, Judge Louis R. Lerner, Medical Malpractice, Million-Dollar Settlements

On the morning of Jan. 31, 2010, the plaintiff, Christopher Denton (then age 37), experienced a sudden onset of chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating and jaw pain. His wife called 911 and he was taken to Riverside Walter Reed Hospital where he was admitted. Plaintiff’s EKGs were read as normal and his Troponin levels [...]

Family doc did not send teen to ER after stroke diagnosis – $3,500,000 Verdict

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: January 21, 2013
Tags: Hampton Circuit Court, Judge Bonnie L. Jones, Medical Malpractice, Million-Dollar Verdicts

The plaintiff, an 18-year-old woman, scheduled an appointment with her family doctor due to her symptoms of tingling in her right arm, a tongue that felt “asleep,” a headache and the inability to feel her right leg. During her appointment at the office of her family doctor, a nurse practitioner saw the plaintiff. After examining [...]

Separate settlements negotiated for couple injured in head-on collision – $150,000 and $1,125,000 Settlements

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: December 3, 2012
Tags: Hampton Circuit Court, Million-Dollar Settlements, Personal Injury

On Oct. 19, 2010, plaintiff Edward Kehoe, age 82, was lawfully operating a 2007 Lexus 350 traveling eastbound at 55 mph on Victory Boulevard (RTE 171) in York County. His wife, plaintiff Mary Kehoe, age 79, was a restrained front seat passenger. The defendant was traveling westbound on Victory Boulevard at a speed of 55 [...]

Motorcyclist killed when driver pulled out from stop sign – $1,000,000 Settlement

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: May 28, 2012
Tags: Hampton Circuit Court, Million-Dollar Settlements, Wrongful Death

Gregory Ferguson, 50, was killed as he was riding his Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle only a few blocks from home. The defendant, 84 years old, pulled up at an intersecting street, stopped at the stop sign and then pulled into the path of Ferguson’s motorcycle. The defense claimed that Ferguson was speeding on his motorcycle and [...]

Clot kills woman, claim brought over failure to administer drugs – Defense Verdict

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: October 31, 2011
Tags: Hampton Circuit Court, Medical Malpractice, Million-Dollar Defense Verdicts

At 1:00 a.m. on Nov. 28, 2008, plaintiff’s decedent, a 64-year-old female, presented to the emergency department of Hampton Sentara Careplex with a three-day history of chest and back pain and shortness of breath. She also had complaints of abdominal discomfort. Two weeks prior, the patient had undergone arthroscopic knee surgery on her left knee [...]

Hampton Roads takes to judicial settlement program

By Peter Vieth
Published: September 29, 2011
Tags: Hampton Circuit Court, Supreme Court of Virginia, Virginia Beach Circuit Court

After eight years, Virginia’s Judicial Settlement Conference program remains popular in parts of the state, but gets little to no use in other areas. The free judicial mediation service is active and well accepted in the Hampton Roads area, court officials say, but little used in Northern Virginia and Southwest Virginia. Overall, for the second [...]

Earlier disabilities complicate valuation of injuries to spine – $1,500,000 Settlement

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: December 6, 2010
Tags: Hampton Circuit Court, Million-Dollar Settlements, Personal Injury

Plaintiff was stopped in traffic when he was rear-ended by a truck. Prior to the accident, the plaintiff was already disabled with long-term depression and orthopedic issues, and he had very limited part-time employment. Causation of his post-accident condition, and the degree of his pre-existing disability, pre-accident ability to work and pre-accident need for support [...]

Physicians confused by depth of wound from 18-inch blade – Defense Verdict

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: July 12, 2010
Tags: Hampton Circuit Court, Judge Wilford Taylor Jr., Medical Malpractice, Million-Dollar Defense Verdicts

On June 27, 2004, at 3:00 a.m., Sergeant Antonio Goodman, age 29, was stabbed by with an 18-inch “dragon dagger” (see photo) in the left lateral thigh in a drunken brawl at a friend’s home. He was taken to the Sentara Careplex emergency department within minutes. On arrival to the ED at 3:40 a.m., the [...]