$9.9 million - Death of 38-year-old executive and father who had symptoms of coronary heart disease which was not diagnosed.

We recently settled a case in San Francisco involving the death of an athletic 38-year-old executive, who stopped at a clinic on his way to the airport complaining of exertional and resting chest "tightness," which was relieved by Advil. The EKG was normal; there were no cardiac risk factors. The doctor diagnosed chest muscle strain and allowed the decedent to fly on to Colorado and then Mexico. He died 7 days after the clinic visit. Unfortunately, his tissue was severely decomposed when it was returned to the United States. There was no evidence of myocardic infarction, but there was an 85% sclerotic lesion in the right coronary artery and congenital narrowing of the left coronary artery. We contended that the decedent died of myocardio- ischemia. Defendants argued that the decedent appeared healthy and in no distress and therefore the clinic symptoms were not cardiac and his death was probably from some other cause. We believe that this is the largest pre-judgment medical malpractice settlement in California history.

$3.5 million - Death of 32-year-old executive from myocardial infarction whose symptoms were misdiagnosed.

$2.5 million - Failure to diagnose fatal arrhythmia condition in 32-year-old ophthalmologist.

We represented the wife and 2 children of a 35-year-old physician who died from a cardiac arrhythmia. We contended that the cardiologists and hospital failed to recognize a treatable cardiac condition when they worked him up for a fainting attack a year before his death. They contended that the fainting attack was caused by a seizure and was not cardiac in origin at all. The case settled just before trial for $2.5 million cash. Of course, the general damages were limited to $250,000.00.

$1.5 million - Improperly performed angioplasty (heart stenting procedure), causing death in 48-year-old man.