New Jersey Medical Malpractice Claims

Just under 9 million people live in New Jersey, making it the 11th most populous state in the U.S. Thousands of medical malpractice cases get filed in the New Jersey court system each year. New Jersey has unique state laws and rules regarding medical malpractice claims and the rights of patients to sue their healthcare providers. Although Miller & Zois is based in Baltimore, New Jersey is one of our neighboring jurisdictions and we regularly handle New Jersey medical malpractice cases.

This page will provide potential plaintiffs with a general overview of the key parts of New Jersey's medical malpractice laws. These laws and rules are important because they can have a major impact on the value of your case and whether you have a case at all.

In cases of shared fault, New Jersey follows a modern or modified comparative negligence rule. Under this rule, if the plaintiff is found to be partially at-fault for their injuries (e.g., failing to follow doctor's instructions, not getting follow-up testing, etc.), the damages award is reduced in proportion to their share of negligence. For example, if a jury finds that the plaintiff was 10% at-fault and the defendants were 90% at-fault, the plaintiff's damages will be reduced by 10%. If the total damages are $100,000, the plaintiff would only get $90,000. If the jury finds that the plaintiff was more than 50% at-fault, however, they will not be entitled to ANY damages.

New Jersey's civil court system is organized by county. Most of the counties in New Jersey are very plaintiff-friendly venues. This is particularly true in the northern part of the state (e.g., Sussex, Passaic, and Bergen Counties) and areas around Philadelphia (Camden and Gloucester Counties). Juries in these highly urban, politically liberal jursidictions are much more likely to find in favor of plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases and award significantly more in damages.

South Jersey is much more rural and demographically very different from the rest of the state. Even in South Jersey, however, there are only 2 counties (Cape May and Salem) that are definitively unfavorable venues for medical malpractice cases. Unlike other states, New Jersey does not have any rules limiting the plaintiff's choice of venue in medical malpractice cases. This means that malpractice cases can be filed in any county where the defendant has an office or facility. As a result, malpractice cases are rarely filed in certain counties.

Below are summaries of verdicts and reported settlements in recent New Jersey medical malpractice cases. These are provided for informational purposes only. What does that trite line mean? It means you can never assume that even if you case is identical another claim that there is any guarantee of a similar result. Every single case is just so very different. Our lawyers have learned this time and time again. But we do think seeing verdicts and settlements is education to better understand the settlement value of claims.

• M.M.S v. Kassankattil (2023) - $290,000 Settlement: A 2-year-old was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and came under the care of the defendant, a nurse. The defendant negligently allowed the child to suffer IV infiltration. As a result, the child suffered a blister, with swelling and discoloration on his right hand which required debridement and left him with permanent scarring. Malpractice lawsuit against the nurse settled out of court.
• M.C. v. Langer-Most (2022) - $1,975,000 Settlement: Infant plaintiff was born prematurely and suffered permanent brain injuries. Lawsuit alleged that the defendant OB/GYN was negligent in failing to properly interpret prenatal ultrasounds take shortly before the birth. The plaintiff claimed that the defendant should have recognized from the ultrasounds that the mother had a shortened cervix, which would have led to preventative measures and management to avoid the premature delivery and injuries.
• Cox v. Tenner (2022) - $300,000 Settlement: 57-year-old female die from rectal cancer which had spread to her liver and brain while under the care of the defendant doctor. Wrongful death lawsuit alleged that the defendant negligently failed to timely diagnosed her cancer several years earlier when he misinterpreted the result of her colonoscopy as "consistent with diverticulitis" without additional testing. The defendant denied liability, but the case eventually settled out of court. 
• N.K. v. Kennedy Health Sys. (2021) $55,000 Settlement: A 3-year-old boy was having a cast for a broken arm removed at the defendant Kennedy University Hospital (Jefferson Health). During the removal procedure the hospital staff negligently cut too far with the cast saw, resulting in serious cuts and burns to the boy's arm. The malpractice case settled quickly out of court. 
• Simicevic v. Kahn (2020) - $500,000 Settlement: A 70-year-old woman underwent two cataract procedures. She suffered blurry vision, tearing, and floaters. The woman presented to her ophthalmologist. She was diagnosed with cornea edema and prescribed anti-inflammatory medication. The woman’s condition worsened after two days. She presented to another provider. The woman was diagnosed with endophthalmitis. She underwent multiple procedures, including a corneal transplant. The woman was now at risk of developing glaucoma and corneal transplant failure. She also required ongoing medical therapy and monitoring. The woman’s vision impairments prevented her from driving. She alleged negligence against her ophthalmologist. The woman claimed he failed to timely diagnose endophthalmitis and order additional tests that would have revealed the condition. The defense contested liability. They argued that the woman’s condition was rare and unavoidable. This case settled for $500,000. 
• Ocasio v. Yeh (2020) - $12,500,000 Settlement: A 5-year-old boy underwent a tonsillectomy. He suffered complications during the procedure. The surgical team responded by puncturing his femoral arteries to establish an arterial line. They also intubated him. The boy was sedated and transferred to the PICU. Hours later, his right leg lost circulation and became cooler than the left. It eventually became discolored. The boy underwent an emergency vascular procedure the following day. The procedure failed to restore right leg circulation. Weeks later, the boy underwent right leg and big left toe amputations. He also underwent wound closure and skin graft procedures. The boy now wore a prosthetic leg. He sometimes used a wheelchair. The boy was also diagnosed with separation anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. His parents alleged negligence against the hospital. They claimed its staff provided substandard care and failed to timely detect acute compartment syndrome. This case settled for $12,500,000. 
• Graham v. Shoman (2020) - $1,800,000 Settlement: A baby boy suffered from Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome. Following his birth, he was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia, an enlarged tongue, and an atrial septal defect. The boy underwent multiple procedures, including a tracheostomy, a gastrostomy, and a tongue reduction. He required ongoing treatment and round-the-clock care. The boy’s mother alleged negligence against her OB/GYN. She claimed he failed to inform her of the abnormal ultrasound results and offer additional tests. The woman argued that she would have undergone genetic counseling and an amniocentesis had she known of the results. This case settled for $1,800,000. 
• Distasio v. Parada (2020) - $1,100,000 Settlement: A 54-year-old man experienced severe left eye and upper jaw pain. He also suffered left eye and scleral edema and left sinus congestion. The man presented to the emergency room. A CT scan revealed a left eye subperiosteal abscess. The man was admitted. He was transferred to another hospital. The man underwent surgery to treat left eye pressure. By that time, the pressure damaged the optic nerve. The man now suffered from total vision loss. He lacked peripheral vision on his left side. The man could no longer work as a delivery driver. He alleged negligence against the initial treating hospital. The man claimed its staff failed to order emergency eye surgery, appreciate his condition, and consult an ophthalmologist. This case settled for $1,100,000. 
• Estate of Scavetta v. Agresti (2020) - $1,400,000 Settlement: 66-year-old man died from liver cancer that metastasized to his colon. His family sued doctors for failure to timely diagnose his cancer by missing signs of cancer in the form of a hepatic lesion in a CT scan. This case settled for $1,400,000.
• Haney v. LoFaro (2020) $650,000 Verdict: 46-year old man went to the ER with chest and left arm pain. Electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, and a cardiac enzyme test were negative. The ER doctor diagnosed him with "atypical chest pain" and sent him home with pain medication. The following day the man suffered a heart attack and required two stent procedures and defibrillator implant surgery, reducing his life expectancy by 10 years. He sued the ER doctor and hospital for failure to diagnose. A Morris County jury awarded $650,000.
• A.M., Pro Ami v. Grencavich (2019) $1,747,505 Verdict: infant suffered a brachial plexus injury at birth. His parents alleged that the nurse-midwife's negligence was negligent in failing to properly identify and respond to shoulder dystocia, applied excessive traction, failed to offer a C-section, and failed to inform her of the risks associated with a vaginal delivery. The Atlantic County jury awarded the family $1,747,505.
• K.T., Pro Ami v. Frisoli (2018) $20,000,000 Verdict: infant girl was born with brain damage and was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy and visual impairments. The girl's mother alleged that the physicians' failure to properly test for GALD-NH delayed her diagnosis and treatment. She claimed their buccal biopsy attempts were not adequate to test for GALD-NH. The defense denied liability. They argued that the newborn received proper care. The Union County jury awarded $20,000,000.
• Kubar v. Shore Rehabilitation (2018) $1,900,000 Verdict: 54-year-old man developed cauda equina syndrome and spinal cord compression after undergoing spinal surgery. He alleged that the hospital's negligent post-operative care caused his injuries. An Ocean County jury awarded him $1,900,000.
• Kawcynski v. Weinstein (2018) $318,800 Verdict: middle-aged woman claimed she suffered permanent injuries as a result of botched plastic surgery when surgeon deviated from standard surgical practice. Morris County jury awarded $318,000.

Our medical malpractice lawyers have a long track record of success in New Jersey medical malpractice cases. We regularly partner with local counsel in New Jersey (at no additional cost to the client, basically two lawyers for the price of one) to give you a dynamic and effective legal team. If you have a medical malpractice case in New Jersey, call our office today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online.