Paran Vs Rifai Case Study

NEGLIGENCE CASE
Kathy Pagan vs. Dr. Rouchdi Rifai
On June 4, 2009, 40 year old Kathy Pagan underwent an abdominoplasty and liposuction of the abdominal flap, at Dr. Rouchdi Rifai’s office in Jackson, MI. She experiences problems from the surgery right from the start. She had “dark-colored drainage, clots, and painful burning sensations and continued to report issues, according to her complaint, first filed in 2011.” She went to Dr. Rifai office where he cleaned the wound area without anesthesia and repeatedly prescribed ointment and pain medication. Pagan requested to be sent to a wound care specialist but that was never done. “By late July 2009, she complained of pain and the wound worsened, according to her lawsuit. The doctor deemed it infected, but still did not refer her to a specialist, the complaint states.” Approximately 8 weeks after surgery Pagan
“She then was sent to Allegiance’s wound care clinic, where it was discovered she had a staph infection, according to the lawsuit. She was admitted to the hospital for six days. Because of the doctor's untimely diagnosis and treatment of Pagan's wound, the area became more and more infected and other symptoms and problems developed and persisted, Pagan and her lawyers said.” “The hospital wound care clinic discharged Pagan in 2010, the complaint states, but her treatment has not come to an end. She has a large scarred area, which sometimes “opens up,” Pagan said, and areas of deformed tissue. She sees infectious disease control doctors and takes medication.” “After a 10-day trial before Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson, jurors found Dr. Rouchdi Rifai had a duty to meet a standard of care and he breached that duty, causing Pagan’s injuries and physical and economic losses. Jurors awarded her $500,000 in damage for pain, suffering, scarring and disfigurement and associated mental or emotional distress and $382,000 in loss of income. Further, they found she