New Jersey Man Awarded $5 Million in Medical Malpractice Case

By Daniel Hawn

Published on November 28, 2005

A man who passed out while at work and subsequently suffered a stroke recently was awarded $5.4 million by a Middlesex county jury that held that the stroke could have been prevented with proper medical care. 

William Crutchlow of the Eichen Levinson law firm in Edison filed the medical malpractice lawsuit against cardiologist Alexander Karpenos, also of Edison, on behalf of Mark Hoffman, 49. On January 29, 1999, Hoffman passed out at Frigidaire in Edison, where he worked. Karpenos subsequently diagnosed Hoffman as having an enlarged heart, congenital heart disease, rapid heartbeat, and atrial fibrillation.

In court, Hoffman's attorney brought forth the testimony of cardiologist Joseph Grossman and neurologist John Greenberg. In light of their testimony, Crutchlow argued that Hoffman did not receive proper medical treatment after he passed out. He further claimed that if Crutchlow had been given the correct care, he would not have suffered a stroke.

The jury deliberated for two-and a-half hours at the close of the seven-day trial. They awarded Hoffman $416,000 to account for lost earnings. The remainder of the $5.4 million award was allotted for pain and suffering.

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