Sportscaster's Family Receives $1.95 Million in Medical Malpractice Case

By Daniel Hawn

Published on August 02, 2005

The surgery took place on September 19, 2001 at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Three months later, on December 21, Schapp died in his hospital room of respiratory distress. He was 67 at the time of his death.

Prior to surgery, Schaap had been taking the medication amiodarone for a heart condition. The Schaap family lawyer, Thomas Moore, argued before the court that amiodarone is known for causing pulmonary toxicity. He said that Schaap's doctors should have allowed Schaap to discontinue the medication before he underwent surgery because of preoperative x-rays that indicated he was suffering from lung damage.

A lawyer for the defense said that a fat embolism -- a build up of fat molecules -- obstructed blood flow in Schaap's lungs and was the cause of his death.

Of the three doctors who were found to have acted negligently, only one, Dr. Neil L. Coplan was ordered to pay the jury award. Jurors deemed that Coplan's negligent behavior directly lead to Schaap's death.

Following the three-week trial, jurors deliberated for nine days before giving their verdict. Mark J. Aaronson, who represented the doctors in court, said he plans to file an appeal and expects the decision to be overturned.

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