Honors and Awards: The Inner Circle of Advocates, 2009, Named in Top 100 Lawyers in State of Michigan

Bar/Professional Activity: State Bar of Michigan, Michigan Association of Justice - Executive Board, American Bar Association, Oakland County Bar Association, Wolverine Bar Association, Metropolitan Detroit Bar Association, Detroit Bar Association, American Judicature Society, International Society of Primerus Law Firms, Incorporated Society of Irish/American Lawyers, The Inner Circle of Advocates

Scholarly Lectures and Writings: Lecturer at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Center for Human Genetics on Medical/Obstetrics and the Law

Verdicts and Settlements: $19,800,000.00 - Jury verdict predicated upon attending obstetricians negligence in failure to provide approriate antenatal care.  During prenatal visits, it should have become obvious that a dangerous condition known as oligohydramnios or decreased amniotic fluid existed.  Oligohydramnios is both a identifier and risk factor for fetal compromise.  As a consequence of delay in delivery, the minor Plaintiff suffered meconium aspiration syndrome and significant cognitive impairment.  Defendants argued that cognitive impairment unaccompanied by cerebral palsy cannot be due to antenatal or perinatal events.  Plaintiff successfully argued that hypoxia and ischemic injury can cause brain damage that manifests in a variety of ways including cognitive impairement with or without cerebal palsy., $2,800,000.00. - Jury verdict on behalf of family of deceased 47 year old who died a preventable death from colon cancer.  Patient, a husband and father of 2 children, reported to his family practitioner that he was experiencing bright red rectal bleeding  Dr. arranged for performance of sigmoidoscopy which failed to disclose any basis for bleeding.  Dr. assured patient that bleeding was only due to hemorrhoid.  Sucessfully advocated that with complaints of rectal bleeding, the standard of care requires complete evaluation of entire colon, i.e. colonoscopy.  Tumors may well exist outside the reach of a sigmoidoscopy., $55,000,000.00 - Michigan's largest medical malpractice verdict.  Verdict obtained on behalf of brain damaged baby who had presented to emergency department of Henry Ford's Bon Secour's Hospital with complaints of difficulty in breathing.  Mother reported child seemed to be "gasping for air."  Vital signs were within normal limits.  Following cursory physical examination, child discharged home with instructions for use of inhaler.  The following morning the child arrested while en route to the hospital for additional respiratory difficulties.  The child suffered severe ischemic brain damage with cerebal palsy and mental retardation.  Effectively argued despite normal vital signs, history of child gasping for air and numerus visits to emergency department over previous week merited admission to the hospital for observation., $22,000,000.00 - Largest jury verdict in medical malpractice case in history of Genesee County.  Mother, pregnant with twins at 30 weeks presented to McLaren Regional Medical Center for outpatient carpal tunnel surgery.  While in recovery, mother reported contractions.  Following brief period of monitoring, nurse spoke with attending obstetrician and decision was made to discharge mother.  The next morning,  mother awoke with advanced pre-term labor with bulging bags of water and twins totally in breach presentation.  Immediate caesarean section delivery was required.  The twins suffered consequences of premature with soft neuro cognitive impairment.  The male twin later victimized by sodium overdose resulting in stroke and mild cerebral palsy., $35,000,000.00 - 33 year old husband and father of three, successful business executive presented to outpatient detox center seeking treatment for addiction to prescription pain medications.  Defendants negligently failed to ascertain whether patient had cholinesterase deficiency that would make it more difficult for him to recover from anesthetic than normal patients.  Patient left unattended for lengthy periods of time in recovery, suffered hypoxic ischemic brain damage.  After lingering for several days, the patient expired.  Believed to be largest verdict every in Oakland County for medical malpractice., $16,000,000.00 - Mother presented to Riverside Osteopathic Hospital for induction of labor at term.  Following administration of Pitocin, fetal monitoring revealed severe episodes of umbilical cord compression and fetal heart rate decelerations.  Following repositioning, cord compression was alleviated and fetal heart rate returned to normal baseline.  Obstetrical resident negligently approved patient request to go to bathroom necessitating position change and discontinuation of fetal monitoring.  During 11 minute period when fetal monitor was off, cord compression occurred, resulting in severe hypoxic ischemic injury.  Following emergency cesarean section delivery, infant was delivered in a profoundly depressed and asphyxiated condition resulting in severe cerebral palsy and mental retardation.  The Hospital argued that at the time the decison was made to allow the patient to go to the bathroom, the fetal heart tones were normal and the baby was well oxygenated.  Plaintiff countered arguing that discontinuing the monitor in the face of previous decelerations created an unreasonable risk that additional episodes of umbilical cord compressions would go unnoticed squandering opporunity to alleviate umbilical cord compression with position change or immediate cesarean section delivery before brain damage could ensue., $3,500,000.00 - Obese mother presented to defendant hospital at term, reporting decreased fetal movement.  Inexperienced resident in training was unable to auscultate fetal heart tones.  Resident subsequently performed an ultrasound to confirm her impression of intrauterine fetal death.  Both resident and attending physician inform mother that intrauterine fetal death had occurred.  Subsequently, massive doses of Pitocin were used to expedite delivery of presumably expired fetus.  Following protracted hyperstimulated labor with no fetal monitoring, a diagnosis of failure to progress was made and a cesarean section done at which point, it was discovered that the infant had not died at all.  Infant newborn was severely asphyxiated and suffered mild cognitive impairment. , $2,500,000.00 - 50 year old attonrey presented to defendant's ophthalmology clinic for performance of LASIK surgery.  LASIK surgery negligently done when ophthalmologist failed to cut an adequate flap, consequently leading to laser ablation of of flap hinge, resulting in irregular astigmatism.  Irregular stigmatism required that patient wear hard contact lenses which patient found very uncomfortable to use and which did not eliminate higher order abborsations causing night time halo glare, etc.

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Educational Background: Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan