Military Wife Awarded $2 Million After Faulty Diagnosis

By Brittany Golledge

Published on February 16, 2006

The plaintiff, Angela Burch, was referred to specialists at Jacksonville Naval Hospital after years of suffering from bladder problems and chronic pelvic pain. She was initially seen by a urologist who diagnosed her with interstitial cystitis, a condition which would not have warranted removal of her reproductive organs. A gynecologist later decided the disease was present inside her bladder. Burch and her husband were then informed by doctors that she had severe endometriosis and would require a hysterectomy.

According to the lawsuit, another urologist examined Burch at the onset of her surgery and ruled out endometriosis. Testimony from Burch's gynecologist indicates that the urologist never informed her of this diagnosis. Though her reproductive organs appeared to be healthy, doctors continued with the hysterectomy and removed her ovaries and uterus, all in what appeared to be a miscommunication.

A U.S. District Court Judge ruled that doctors had improperly managed Burch's care, misdiagnosing her condition and thereby failing to proceed with her informed consent. The $2 million judgment follows a series of rulings against Jacksonville Naval Hospital in recent months, including a $60 million verdict awarded to a family whose child suffered extensive birth injuries and was left blind and brain dead.

Comment on this article →