Kline & Specter Personal Injury Blog

Having verdicts upheld by appellate courts is just as important as winning them.  Take, for instance, the $12.5 million jury award in 2015 to an Indiana woman in the first trial held in the vaginal mesh mass tort program in Philadelphia. The verdict -- $5.5 million in compensatory damages and $7…

Child abuse comes in all different forms and places. Often it occurs where one would expect that children are sheltered and safe from harm. But abuse occurs in homes, foster care, school and even at church. Currently, an estimated 1,000 children are experiencing abuse in the Philadelphia…

 A recently released Pennsylvania grand jury report detais decades of sexual assaults upon children by Catholic priests in the commonwealth -- more than 1,000 victims assaulted by some 300 “predator priests” – and an alleged cover-ups by church hierarchy.  News of the report, released Tuesday,…

On Saturday, July 7th, a couple in Newfield, NJ was killed following a natural gas explosion in their home. The victims of this tragic accident had installed a stove the day before the explosion, but there is no evidence as of yet to tie that installation to the explosion. In fact, according to an…

All medical procedures come with some level of accepted risk. Unfavorable results may be one of these. However, not achieving ideal results does not automatically indicate negligence. Sometimes, even tragic outcomes are simply unavoidable. Unfavorable results may occur regardless of the steps…

The incident occurred almost five and a half years ago when a doctor at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown wrapped a child’s head with ACE Bandages to treat swelling after she was born prematurely. The procedure, said the doctor, John O. Chan, was something he had learned during his…

When on trial in a personal injury case, it is important not only to win a verdict but to ensure that it’s conducted in a manner that protects against a possible – and often probable -- appeal later on. Take, for instance, the birth injury case that resulted in April 2017 in a $41.6 million…

Medical malpractice lawsuits are generally lengthy and complicated legal cases. For the average lay person, they can seem shrouded in mystery, and many common misconceptions about medical malpractice cases have arisen over the years. At Kline & Specter, PC, we want to help our clients…

Anesthesia is one of the marvels of modern medicine. However, mistakes made in administering anesthesia cause thousands of injuries each year and can result in death. Types of Anesthesia Anesthesia is commonly administered in operating rooms, surgical centers, dental offices, and other medical…

A recent ruling by the Pennsylvania Superior Court may substantially change the future of litigation over Risperdal, the anti-psychotic drug linked to gynecomastia, the growth of female-like breasts in boys and male adolescents. A panel of the court decided to allow juries to consider punitive…

A recent study published in JAMA Surgery titled “Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Involving Surgical Residents,” analyzed a decade of medical malpractice cases involving surgical interns, residents and fellows. The results of the study showed that lack of supervision of these doctors by more…

Civil actions often end with jury verdicts or settlements that provide an injured party with monetary compensation. But in some cases they bring about change – such as safety improvements or revamped policies and regulations -- that helps ensure there won’t be future victims. Such was the case…

When you check into a hospital, your usual expectation is that you will be treated, and then be released in better health. However, for thousands of patients each year across the United States, that is not the case. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that for patients…

Cerebral palsy is not one distinct condition, but an umbrella term for a variety of disorders that affect a child’s ability to move and develop muscle tone. These disorders are caused by damage to the baby’s developing brain during pregnancy, labor and delivery, or immediately after birth. When the…