Francis M. Hinson, IV
Top rated Medical Malpractice attorney in Columbia, South Carolina
HHP Law Group, LLC
Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury
Licensed in South Carolina since: 2006
Education: University of South Carolina School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2021 - 2024 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2016 - 2018 Call today:
803-956-1389
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924 Gervais StColumbia, SC 29201 Visit website
Details
Francis M. Hinson, IV is a founding partner of HHP Law Group, LLC. The majority of the he handles include medical malpractice and other catastrophic injury.
Mr. Hinson began his academic career in the 1990s and completed his bachelor's degree in 2000 at Furman University. He then completed his I.M.B.A. and his J.D. in 2006 at the University of South Carolina. That same year, he became admitted to practice in South Carolina. In 2007, he was admitted to the U.S. District Court District of South Carolina. Pro hac vice admissions also made it possible for him to take on cases in several other states, such as Texas, Oregon, Arizona and Connecticut.
One of the most prestigious work assignments at the start of his career involved him working as a law clerk for the Honorable Ralph King Anderson, Jr., in the South Carolina Court of Appeals. Prior to creating HHP Law Group, LLC, he also worked at the South Carolina office of a national law firm with headquarters in Maryland. Mr. Hinson has also maintained several professional memberships, such as the American Association for Justice and the South Carolina Bar Association.
Outside of work, Mr. Hinson enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. He has visited over 25 countries, so far.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff- 80% Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff
- 20% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 2006, South Carolina
Professional Webpage: https://www.hhplawgroup.com/brink-hinson
Bar/Professional Activity:
- South Carolina, 2006
- Phi Alpha Delta
- Sigma Nu
- The Southern Trial Lawyers Association
- The National Trial Lawyers (Top 40 Under 40)
- South Carolina Association for Justice
- American Association for Justice
- Richland County Bar Association
- South Carolina Bar Association
- U.S. District Court District of South Carolina, 2007
Educational Background:
- University of South Carolina, I.M.B.A. 2006
- Furman University, B.A., with a double-major in business administration and history., 2000
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Assisted as a judge at local mock trial competitions for high school students. , 2020
Honors/Awards:
- Legal Elite, Columbia Business Monthly, 2022
- Top Attorneys in South Carolina, Columbia Living Magazine, 2021
- Top Attorneys in South Carolina, Columbia Living Magazine, 2017
- In 2014, the National Trial Lawyers organization named Mr. Hinson as one of the top 40 attorneys under the age of 40., Top 40 Under 40, The National Trial Lawyers, 2014
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Focusing on wrongful death cases with no economic damages, this presentation looked at how to demonstrate to juries that the death of loved one has significant value even when there are no medical bills or lost wages resulting from the death. , Presenter/Speaker, Proving Damages in Wrongful Death Damages, Southern Trial Lawyers Annual Convention - New Orleans, Louisiana, Personal Injury Attorneys, 2022
- This presentation offered and discussed a list of South Carolina cases that can be beneficial for personal injury attorneys to know. The list initially consisted mostly of cases addressing issues that may come up at trial; however, the list (and presentation) covered a broader array of topics, including such things as piercing the corporate veil and the interpretation of insurance policies in favor of coverage., Presenter/Speaker, Cases Every Young Attorney Should Know by Heart, SCAJ Annual Convention, Personal Injury Attorneys, 2019
- Aimed at young lawyers who likely had not deposed many physicians, this presentation aimed to offer a few pointers to assist in winning soundbites to assist in cross examination at trial., Presenter/Speaker, Deposing Defense Medical Experts, SCAJ Young Lawyers Convention - Myrtle Beach, Personal Injury Attorneys, 2018
Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
- Rhoads v. Aiken County Sheriff's Office - $950,000.00 verdict for the Plaintiff following a one-week-long jury trial. Prior to trial, the highest offer was $20,000 and the lowest demand was $50,000. In early May of 219, the Plaintiff, a Caucasian female who at the time of the events at issue was 28 years old, was placed in the Aiken County Detention Center as a repeat offender of some relatively minor crimes (shoplifting and bad checks) as well as some more serious ones (burglary and distributing drugs). A few days into her detainment, the Plaintiff complained of a growing “bump” on the side of her head. For the next three weeks, the Plaintiff repeatedly complained about the bump and reported that it is growing and very painful. At trial, several witnesses (both detainees and guards) testified that the swollen area on the side of the Plaintiff’s head eventually grew to be as large as grapefruit. Although the Plaintiff was seen numerous times by the jail’s medical staff, the healthcare professionals simply prescribed pain medications and treated the swollen place as if it were related to a minor trauma. Not receiving the medical care she required, the Plaintiff lodged a “peaceful protest” during recreation time and said that she would not return to her cell and would only go to a hospital. The jail’s staff treated this as barricading and placed her in solitary confinement. About 26 days after the “bump” on her head was first noticed and about two weeks after it had become shockingly huge, the Plaintiff lost consciousness and was finally taken to a local hospital where a tremendous infectious abscess on the side of her head was diagnosed (picture attached). The abscess is so large and had been there so long that it had destroyed a large section of the Plaintiff's skull, invaded her brain, and was causing a right-to-left-shift of her brain. Prior to trial, the claims against the medical staff were settled; however, the claims against the Sheriff’s Office (the sheriff was the one in charge of the detention center) remained. , 2023
- Allison v. ACDC Clinics, LLC - $453,919.47 verdict for the Plaintiffs following a one-week-long jury trial. Prior to trial, the highest offer was $35,000 and the lowest demand was $125,000. The facts and allegations pertaining to the case are set forth below. In September of 2018, Plaintiff Phillip Allison, age 45, presented to Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery (ADCS) with concerns of a small skin lesion that had developed on the right side of his nose. A shave biopsy was performed. A few days later, a representative of the clinic later called Mr. Allison and told him that the pathology result came back as benign. Over the next few years, the skin lesion continued to grow larger. In March 2021, Mr. Allison underwent another biopsy of the lesion at a different facility. The subsequent pathology report confirmed the presence of basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. Mr. Allison and his wife sued ADCS claiming that the clinic negligently misinformed him about the pathologist’s report following the September 2018 biopsy. The suit alleged that this negligence caused a delay in Mr. Allison’s cancer diagnosis. Initially, the Allisons also named several individuals as defendants in the case, but these individuals were dropped as named parties prior to the start of trial. Plaintiffs contended that the pathologist who reviewed the 2018 biopsy did not determined the lesion to be benign, but that she, instead, found the biopsy to be inconclusive. Plaintiffs claimed that the tissue sample sent to the pathology lab was nothing more than a scab, rather than skin, and that the pathologist therefore could neither confirm nor rule out the presence of cancer. The pathologist wrote in her report that no epidermis or dermis was available for evaluation and that if there was clinical concern for carcinoma, additional, deeper tissue sample was recommended to fully evaluate the lesion. Mr. Allison maintained that ADCS never informed him that the biopsy was inconclusive and that the Defendant failed to notify him that another biopsy was recommended. Following the biopsy, Mr. Allison went to ADCS several times for unrelated issues. During those visits, ADCS's staff never told Mr. Allison that another biopsy was recommended. The defense maintained that the September 2018 biopsy was adequate and that the healthcare providers had conclusively determined that cancer was not present at that time. Defense counsel further argued that, because the lesion continued to get bigger, Mr. Allison should have requested a second biopsy some time prior to March 2021. Mr. Allison underwent Mohs surgery on his nose in June 2021. Plaintiff acknowledge that he would have needed this surgery even if his cancer had been diagnosed in 2018; however, he asserted that the delayed diagnosis forced the Mohs surgeon to remove a deeper and wider section of the skin on his nose. Mr. Allison was cancer-free after the surgery, but the procedure left him with a large skin defect in skin of his right nostril. Doctors addressed this disfigurement by performing a three-stage plastic surgery with skin grafting. Plaintiffs argued that if the Mohs surgery had been performed in 2018, it would have only left behind a small scar and would not have necessitated plastic surgery. Mr. Allison's nose was slightly misshapen, but he otherwise leads a normal life. Mr. Allison sought recovery of past medical expenses and damages for his past and future pain and suffering. Mrs. Allison brought a loss of consortium claim. One of the defense’s dermatology experts opined that Mr. Allison would have required plastic surgery on his nose even if the Mohs procedure had be performed in 2018. The jury determined that ADCS violated the applicable standard of care when treating Mr. Allison and that this violation proximately caused him injury. , 2023
- Mullins v. SC Dept. of Corrections - $150,000 settlement for an inmate diagnosed with multiple sclerosis who alleged the Department of Care failed to timely provide him treatment for his disease and thereby caused his condition and prognosis to worsen. , 2023
- Camilletti v. AmMed Health - $750,000 settlement for the family of a woman who died following a bariatric surgery. As this was a wrongful death case, the verified petition and settlement approval order are publicly available online with Anderson County under Civil Action No. 2020-CP-04-01332. , 2022
- Mina v. Correct Care, et al. - $550,000 settlement for the family of a man with age-related dementia who died after being struck by a fellow detainee. The claims in the case centered around allegations that institution and its subcontractor failed to take reasonable steps to protect the individual while he was in their custody. As this was a wrongful death case, the verified petition and settlement approval order are publicly available online with Richland County under Civil Action No. 2018-CP-40-06690. , 2022
- Robinson v. Regional Medical Center - $321,000 settlement for a young woman treated at The Regional Medical Center following a car wreck. The claims in the case centered around allegations that healthcare providers failed to identify a tear to the patient's mesentery, which ultimately resulted in an ischemic bowel. As this was a case against a governmental entity, the settlement amount could not be made confidential because the payment is subject to South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, and more information about the case is publicly available online with Orangeburg County under Civil Action No. 2018-CP-38-00131. , 2021
- Arias?Hanson v. Prisma Health - $600,000 settlement for the family of a woman who died from in lung infection after vomiting in a BiPAP while in wrist restraints following surgery. As this was a wrongful death case, the verified petition and settlement approval order are publicly available online with Richland County under Civil Action No. 2020-CP-40-03486. , 2021
- $350,000 jury verdict in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Following a bicycle accident, client/patient presented to the emergency department of Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. Although radiology imaging and the radiology reports demonstrated a fractured clavicle, the consulting orthopedist failed to inform the patient that the bone was broken and failed to immobilize the injured arm. As a result, the fractured clavicle displaced over the following few days and required surgical repair that would have been avoided if the arm had been properly immobilized. , 2021
- $600,000 settlement for a woman whose primary care provider was alleged to have prescribed an inappropriate dosage of a drug that caused the patient to suffer seizures. , 2021
- $1,225,000 settlement for a woman (and her husband) who swallowed a dental device that was ultimately determined to have lodged in her lungs and caused an infection. The aforementioned amount is the total received from multiple defendants. Claims were brought against a dentist who was alleged to have dropped a dental device down his patient's throat and failed to recommend that she promptly have medical imaging to demine the location of the object. Claims were also brought against a hospital, alleging that there was an unacceptable delay in removing the dental device after its presence the patient's lungs was recognized. , 2021
- $410,000 settlement for the family of a man who died following a fall at rehabilitation facility, where he had been admitted following a hip surgery. The claims in the case alleged that appropriate fall prevention protocols were not timely put into place. As this was a wrongful death case, the verified petition and settlement approval order are publicly available online with Richland County under Civil Action No. 2019-CP-40-003100. , 2021
- $325,000 settlement for the family of a woman who died following a bariatric surgery. This medical malpractice case was brought in Lexington County and had little to no economic damages. , 2021
- $595,000 settlement for the children of a woman who died as result of a colonoscopy. The claims in the case centered around allegations that the patient's comorbidities that required her colonoscopy to be performed in a hospital setting and that the procedure should have been abandoned after she vomited during the procedure. As this was a wrongful death case, the verified petition and settlement approval order are publicly available online with Richland County under Civil Action No. 2018-CP-40-05514. , 2020
- $550,000 settlement for the family of a woman who died from a post-partum hemorrhage. The allegations were that the healthcare providers had an unreasonable delay treating the patient's bleeding. As this was a wrongful death case, the verified petition and settlement approval order are publicly available online with Lexington County under Civil Action No. 2019-CP-32-02498. , 2020
- $2,100,000 settlement (total recovery from multiple defendants) for the family of a woman who died from a cardiac condition, which was alleged to have developed as a result of the inappropriate prescribing (by a primary care provider) and filling (by a pharmacy) of a medication that was not designed for long-term use. As this was a wrongful death case, the verified petition and settlement approval order are publicly available online with Richland County under Civil Action No. 2017-CP-40-04832. , 2019
- $3,500,000 jury verdict in Horry County, South Carolina. The patient/client presented to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center with acute psychosis. A few hours after being admitted to the hospital, the patient subsequently asked to leave, and healthcare providers discharged the psychotic patient and did not notify his emergency contact. Shortly after leaving the hospital, the patient drowned in the Atlantic Ocean., 2019
- $310,000 settlement for the family of a man who died from a brain hemorrhage. The allegations were that the healthcare providers in an emergency depart failed to appropriately investigate the potential for head trauma following a fall. As this was a wrongful death case, the verified petition and settlement approval order are publicly available online with Richland County under Civil Action No. 2017-CP-40-04982., 2019
- Hilliard v. Southern Health Partners - $907,963 jury verdict in Marlboro County, South Carolina, and the additional claim for punitive damages was settled for a confidential amount before the jury made a determination on this the issue of punitive damages. Additionally, prior to trial, there was a $75,000 settlement with another defendant. The patient/client presented to a local detention center and reported having been on prescription narcotics for many years. A narcotic withdrawal protocol was not initiated, and the patient eventually felt so bad and became so lethargic that he lay on his bunk without moving for days and developed a bedsore. , 2019
Other Outstanding Achievements:
- Following a $3,500,000.00 jury award in May of 2019 that resulted in a judgment in the amount of $3,308,801.36 (the difference of which was the result of reduction from an offset relating to a prior settlement and an addition as a consequence of interest from a prior offer of judgment), the defendants appealed. Following extensive briefing and oral argument before the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the trial court's order entering the judgment was affirmed. Following the appellate court's decision but prior to the defendants/appellants seeking certiorari to the South Carolina Supreme Court, the parties settled the case for $4,100,000.00, which was just slightly below the full amount that would be due to the plaintiffs with the interest that had accrued on the judgment. , 2023
Industry Groups:
- Healthcare
Selections
4 Years Super Lawyers
3 Years Rising Stars
- Super Lawyers: 2021 - 2024
- Rising Stars: 2016 - 2018
