October 12, 2000
A Rockford, Illinois-area woman was awarded $3.1 million by a Wisconsin jury, in a breast cancer malpractice case, which according to the Rockford Register Star newspaper, was the state’s largest verdict to date in a breast cancer case. The multimillion-dollar medical malpractice verdict was subsequently reduced 5 percent for the woman’s contributory negligence and included an $850,000 award to her husband for loss of companionship. The verdict was upheld on July 1, 2002 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
The Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C.’s client was 39 years old when she found a small lump in her breast. The discovery required her to consult with four different doctors over a course of three years to be finally diagnosed with breast cancer. By then, the Stage III cancer had spread to 17 of the 22 lymph nodes tested, requiring a mastectomy and extensive chemotherapy treatment.
David E. Rapoport of Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. who represented the woman and her husband in this medical malpractice case, noted that, “This is a tragic case. My client’s cancer should have been diagnosed at Stage I, when she had a 90 percent chance for a cure, not at Stage III. Three medical professionals were grossly negligent and have been brought to justice. This is a tragic example of what happens when physicians fail to take the time to be thorough and to listen carefully to their patients.”
Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. is a personal injury law firm based in Chicago, Illinois. The personal injury attorneys at Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. have achieved multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for individuals with lawsuits arising from medical malpractice, product liability, semitruck and motor vehicle accidents, workplace injuries and construction accidents in Illinois and Wisconsin. Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C.’s premier aviation negligence lawyers represent victims of commercial and general aviation disasters nationwide.
If you feel you may be in need of legal services, personally email an attorney from Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. for a free case evaluation or telephone our Chicago office toll free at 866-693-3806.
