Summary Judgment for Internal Medicine Doctor in COVID-Related Malpractice Case

Huie partner Jennifer “JD” Segers and associate Owen Mattox recently obtained summary judgment in a medical malpractice case.

The Challenge

Huie was hired to defend an internal medicine doctor against allegations that he provided negligent medical care to an elderly COVID-positive patient at a rural Alabama hospital. After the patient’s discharge and unfortunate death, the family of the patient filed suit, claiming that our client failed to implement appropriate orders and ensure that he was properly cared for following his COVID diagnosis.

Our Approach

Our team consulted with expert witnesses who reviewed our client’s care and determined that not only was the care our client provided completely appropriate under the circumstances, but that the patient’s outcome was unavoidable given his COVID diagnosis and his pre-existing conditions.

Results

After filing a motion for summary judgment on behalf of our client, the Court ultimately found that there was no evidence that our client’s treatment of the patient fell below the standard of care and entered a judgment in our client’s favor.