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Family of Minnesota man wins $84m verdict after fatal heart attack

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Reece Devlin died from heart attack complications in January 2023, less than a week after completing a virtual medical consultation. His family argued that clinic staff missed crucial warning signs and failed to properly examine his Mayo Clinic health records after he initially reported chest pain in October 2022. Computer access logs introduced during the trial demonstrated that the clinician was treating other patients when the record review allegedly occurred. The substantial sum remains subject to potential judicial reduction or an appellate challenge.

Key points

  • The jury determined that the healthcare provider failed to uphold medical standards by ne…: The jury determined that the healthcare provider failed to uphold medical standards by neglecting to adequately investigate cardiac symptoms.
  • A significant portion of the historic financial judgment was designated to cover Devlin's…: A significant portion of the historic financial judgment was designated to cover Devlin's future lost career earnings.
  • Fairview Health Services maintained that its staff delivered evidence-based treatment and…: Fairview Health Services maintained that its staff delivered evidence-based treatment and may seek an appeal or remittitur to lower the sum.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A Hennepin County jury issued an $84 million malpractice verdict against Fairview Health Services on 29 September for the family of a 53-year-old man who died from heart attack complications after allegedly receiving an inadequate medical evaluation from a clinician at the hospital. It is one of the largest malpractice awards in the state’s history. Part of the award reflects what the man would have earned in the years ahead.

Two consultations that failed to adequately address his chest pain

Reece Devlin, 53, moved to Minneapolis from Australia and spent years as a partner at Ernst & Young. In October 2022, he went to an M Health Fairview Uptown clinic with chest pain, according to court records. A Fairview clinician ordered an electrocardiogram to check the electrical activity of Devlin’s heart. The practitioner stated that Devlin’s Mayo Clinic executive physical records had also been reviewed at the time. Brandon Thompson, the attorney who represented Reece Devlin’s wife and two children in the medical malpractice lawsuit against Fairview Health Services, argued that computer records contradicted this claim. The records reportedly showed…

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