Medical Malpractice- Death from cancer followed stomach pain misdiagnosis

$725,000 settlement

Injuries alleged: Misdiagnosis of colon cancer resulting in metastasis and death

Tried before: Mediation

Date resolved: May 19, 2026

Amount: $725,000

Attorneys for plaintiff: Peter Anderson and Melissa Kouri, Henrico County, Rawls Law Group

Case description: A 71-year-old woman began experiencing stomach discomfort and visited her longtime primary care doctor, who dismissed the symptoms as related to irritable bowel syndrome, even after the discomfort worsened and began interrupting the patient’s sleep.

Due to the misdiagnosis, the primary care doctor failed to order imaging or refer the woman to a gastroenterologist. As a result, the woman’s cancer spread untreated for years. Ultimately, the patient’s daughter noticed a large lump in her mother’s abdomen and brought it to the primary care doctor’s attention. The primary care doctor then ordered abdominal imaging, which revealed the patient had colon cancer that had spread to her entire body. By then, it was too late to treat, and the patient died from metastatic colon cancer.

There was a factual dispute about whether the doctor told the decedent to seek additional diagnostic tests or help from a specialist. The defense also argued that the decedent’s symptoms were atypical and inconsistent, asserting her cancer could not have been diagnosed earlier.

The case was settled via mediation for $725,000.