CASE REPORT
(08 MR/1) MED. MAL.--KIDNEY STONE REMOVAL, CARDIAC ARREST, RECORD LA SALLE VERDICT (12A) Adam Porter v Dr. John Podzamsky, D.O., Patricia Duffield, Dr. Ephraim Batam - buze, Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants Ltd., Patricia Blair, C.R.N.A., A.T. Associ- ates Anesthesiologists 03L-83 Tried Jan. 28-Feb. 14, 2008 VERDICT: $23,737,234 v Podzamsky and Duffield ($597,836 past medl. ex - penses; $5,300,000 future medl. expenses; $2,339,398 past and future wage loss; $5,500,000 past and future pain & suffering; $10,000,000 past and fu- ture loss of normal life) after their co-defts settled out during trial for a total of $2,000,000. Co-deft Dr. Michael Ihlenfeldt settled pre-trial for $750,000 (see Settlements by Category, SYY g/40).
James P. Ginzkey Jim Ginzkey is a personal injury attorney in Bloomington, Illinois. Mr. Ginzkey has been practicing for over 40 years and for the last two decades has primarily represented patients in medical malpractice cases. In addition to his trial practice Mr. Ginzkey has extensive appellate court experience, having argued dozens of appeals in the appellate courts of Illinois, as well as in the 7th Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court. He is a past chair of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Tort Law Section Counsel and served in the ISBA’s General Assembly for a number of years. Mr. Ginzkey continues to do volunteer work with Prairie State Legal Services and with the local YMCA. He continues to be supported by his wife of 48 years and has two married daughters living in Chicago.
JUDGE: James A. Lanuti (IL, La Salle 13th Jud Cir)
PLTF ATTY(S): James P. Ginzkey, Ginzkey & Molchin, LLC DEMAND: $4,000,000 total ASKED: $15,000,000 - $20,000,000 DEFT ATTY(S): Jeffry S. Spears of Hinshaw & Culbertson (Rockford) for Podzamsky, Duffield (PIC-Wisconsin, PIC-Wisconsin; Fireman’s Fund) OFFER: JP, PD $250,000 ; David L. Drake of Drake, Narup & Mead (Springfield) for Bat - ambuze, Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants Ltd. (ISMIE) OFFER : none ; Gregory A. Cerulo of Quinn, Johnston, Henderson & Pretorius (Peoria, IL) for Blair, A.T. As- sociates Anesthesiologists (ISMIE) OFFER: PB $600,000 - $1,000,000 high/low PLTF MEDL: Dr. Muhammad Malik (Cardiologist), Dr. Joseph Sarmiento (Internist) PLTF EXPERT(S): Dr. David Stein (Cardiologist); Dr. William Peruzzi (Anes- thesiologist); Barbara A. Weintraub, C.N.P. of Northwest Community Hospital, 800 W. Central, Arlington Heights, IL (847-618-5432) (Nurse Practitioner); Mar- garet Faut-Callahan, C.R.N.A. of Rush University Medical Center, 600 S. Paulina, Chicago, IL (312-942-2308) (Anesthetist); Dr. Gregory Grubb, D.O., 1985 DeKalb Rd., Suite 300, Sycamore, IL (815-754-1122) (Family Practice); Charles Linke, Ph.D. (Economist); Dr. Alan Kadish (Cardiologist) DEFT EXPERT(S): Dr. Steven J. Eisenstein (Family Practice) for Podzamsky, Duffield Dr. Scott M. Miller (Cardiac Electro-Physiologist) for Batambuze, Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants Ltd. Dr. Bruce S. Kleinman (Anesthesiologist) for Blair, A.T. Associates Anesthesiologists November 15, 2001, pltf M-28 was hospitalized by his family physician deft Dr. Podzamsky at St. Mary’s Hospital, Streator, for treatment of a kidney stone. A cystoscopy was scheduled, but when anesthesiologist Dr. Ihlenfeldt began inducing anesthesia, the patient experienced cardiac arrhythmias and the pro- cedure was cancelled pending a cardiac workup. Dr. Podzamsky (who had the day off) was notified of the problem; he sent his nurse practitioner Duffield to the hospital in his place. She gave pltf’s telemetry strips to cardiologist Dr. Bat- ambuze who interpreted the arrhythmias as “benign” and pltf returned to sur- gery. As Dr. Ihlenfeldt was then involved in another surgery, deft Blair, a nurse anesthetist, began inducing anesthesia. The arrhythmias recurred but the
JURY VERDICT REPORTER • 2024 ANNUAL TRIAL LAWYER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 33
Powered by FlippingBook