Our Verdicts & Settlements

A $144.5 million verdict obtained by Fieger Law in 2011 is the largest ever awarded in a medical malpractice case in the nation.

VanSlembrouck v. Halperin, et al, Circuit Court of Oakland County, Michigan, Case No. 06-074585-NH (2011) (birth trauma)

A $144.5 million verdict obtained by Fieger Law in 2011 is the largest ever awarded in a medical malpractice case in the nation. Geoffrey Fieger, with help from Fieger Law Counsel Jack Beam, procured the award on behalf of a Macomb Township family in a tragic birth trauma case against William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. The verdict came in Oakland County Circuit Court on Oct. 18 in front of Judge Rudy J. Nichols. Fieger Law represented the family of Markell VanSlembrouck, a 15-year-old who sustained serious injuries during her birth at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. Fieger argued that doctors should have ordered a C-section for Markell’s mother, Kimberly VanSlembrouk, and that the hospital’s negligence caused a traumatic birth, which resulted in Markell’s severe cerebral palsy. Now a teenager, Markell can’t walk or talk and needs constant care. Her parents assist her 24 hours a day, helping with every aspect of her life, from eating and dressing to bathing. After a three week trial and three days of deliberation, the jury awarded Fieger’s client $144 million. “Ninety-eight percent of this verdict is economic damages required to care for Markell for the rest of her life. It’s $12 per hour, 24 hours per day, for 77 years,” Fieger said, plus lost earnings capacity starting in 2018, the year she would have graduated from college. The verdict also includes noneconomic damages, capped at $738,000 by law. “It’s been an emotional, long time,” said Kimberly VanSlembrouck, mother of Markell VanSlembrouck. “It’s not about getting rich — it’s about helping a poor baby that didn’t ask for this.”

Wayne County Jury Awards $135 Million Malpractice Verdict Against DMC

Largest Verdict In The USA for 2018
Fieger hails jurors as heroes

Nationally known trial lawyer, Geoffrey Fieger, announced today that a Wayne County jury, sitting in the courtroom of Judge Brian Sullivan, after a 2 week trial, returned a verdict on Monday, July 2, 2018 against the Detroit Medical Center, totaling $135 Million Dollars as a result of crippling

Geoffrey Fieger recently won the largest verdict in Indiana history in the case of Moreland v Dieter et al.

$56.5 million verdict – Moreland v. St Joseph County, et al, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Case No 3:99 CV-607-PS (2002) (jail death)

Geoffrey Fieger recently won the largest verdict in Indiana history in the case of Moreland v Dieter et al. A jury awarded the $56.5 million verdict May 9, 2002 on a civil rights claim involving a death in a jail cell. Christopher Moreland, 30, was arrested in the early morning of Oct. 5, 1997 for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. While he was housed in the St. Joseph County Jail in South Bend, a jailer sprayed him in the face with the powerful OC 10, known to be 10 times stronger than pepper spray. The jailers also choked him and slammed his head against a concrete bench. Testimony revealed that two other jail deputies then took Moreland to the showers where they doused him with hot water, magnifying the effect of the OC 10, then restrained him and sprayed him again in the face. Then, they threw him back into the showers causing him to hit his head and suffer a subdural hematoma. Moreland, naked and unconscious, was later pronounced dead. The deputies were acquitted of federal criminal charges, but Moreland’s family hired Fieger Law to file a civil suit. The firm sued deputies and the county jail, alleging they violated Moreland’s civil rights under Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act. A jury agreed and awarded a record $56.5 million verdict.

In 2016, Geoffrey Fieger, along with co-counsel Jack Beam, won this record-setting jury verdict in the case of Isaiah Ewing vs. University of Chicago Hospital.

Isaiah was born with a severe brain injury after suffering 12 hours of fetal distress due to the negligence of medical staff, who later mounted a cover-up. The medical malpractice verdict is the largest ever in Cook County, Ill. and will ensure Isaiah's medical costs are covered for the rest of his life.

Attorney Geoffrey Nels Fieger is recognized for the top jury verdict of the year, $40 million in the medical malpractice case of the Estate of Terrea Holly v. Detroit Receiving Hospital and Detroit Medical Center.

During the 8-day trial in front of the Hon. Annette J. Berry in Wayne County Circuit Court, Fieger argued that had doctors conducted their care within the accepted standard, and had Holly been properly treated with anticoagulants on Oct. 17, 2013, the 26-year-old would not have suffered the massive pulmonary embolism that killed her the following day.

The jury deliberated for three hours before returning the verdict.

Geoffrey Fieger won a record verdict of $30 million in Lexington County, South Carolina for the family of Dr. Asif Sheikh.

$30 million verdict – Sheikh v. Lexington Medical Center, Court of Common Pleas, Lexington County, South Carolina, Case No. 2003-CP-32-0675 (2007) (medical malpractice)

Geoffrey Fieger won a record verdict of $30 million in Lexington County, South Carolina for the family of Dr. Asif Sheikh. The jury found that Lexington Medical Center negligently caused Dr. Sheikh’s death after routine knee surgery by administering an overdose of narcotics and failing to monitor his vital signs.

Geoffrey Fieger won a $30 million jury verdict for the family of a 35-year-old man who was killed when a Dearborn parking meter attendant took the law into his own hands.

$30 million verdict – Coe v City of Dearborn, Circuit Court of Wayne County, Michigan, Case No. 03-306126-NI (2005) (automobile negligence)

Geoffrey Fieger won a $30 million jury verdict for the family of a 35-year-old man who was killed when a Dearborn parking meter attendant took the law into his own hands. Agron Seiko, 20, was given a Dearborn police car to drive during his shift as a meter maid on Feb. 17, 2003. While driving the car, Seiko heard over the radio that Dearborn police were pursuing a stolen vehicle several miles from where he was. Suddenly deciding to play cop, Seiko began racing through the city at speeds approaching 100 miles an hour to reach the scene of the crime. As he sped down Rotunda Drive around 4:30 p.m., carelessly plowing through red lights, Ford Motor Company employees were just leaving work. William Vesper Owen IV, 35, was among them. A computer engineer for many years at Ford, Owen was pulling out of the Ford parking lot on a green light. As he proceeded to make a left hand turn on Rotunda, Seiko struck him at nearly 60 miles per hour. Owen died a slow, painful death. Seiko was convicted of negligent homicide after being charged with manslaughter. Geoffrey Fieger filed suit against the City of Dearborn in February 2003. The city’s insurer, AIG, refused to settle the suit on the advice of its attorneys, who claimed that Michigan Appellate Courts would never allow the plaintiff’s verdict to stand. The suit went before the Honorable Michael Callahan of the Wayne County Circuit Court in July. The 10-day trial was resolved July 28, when the jury announced its verdict of $25 million. With interest, the verdict will total in excess of $30 million. Fieger said it’s a shame that city residents will have to pay out of their own pockets for the tragic accident. “The taxpayers of the City of Dearborn should tar and feather AIG Insurance Company and its attorneys. Dearborn is insured in the amount of $12 million. The case could have been settled. Instead, after paying for its insurance, the taxpayers will be stuck with a $20 million excess verdict,” Fieger said. “It is shocking that this occurred, but it is the result of the insurance company’s belief that they own the Michigan Supreme Court.”

Geoffrey Fieger won a verdict of $30 million in the case of Mary Curry, who was slammed five years ago by a Ryder Truck while she was stopped for a presidential motorcade.

Curry v Westerby, Circuit Court of Genesee County, Michigan, Case No. 95-39277-NI (2000) (automobile negligence)

Geoffrey Fieger won a verdict of $30 million in the case of Mary Curry, who was slammed five years ago by a Ryder Truck while she was stopped for a presidential motorcade. One friend in the car died in the accident, and Curry was severely injured.

A Cuyahoga County jury held in favor of a brain-damaged 17-year-old boy and slammed a doctor and hospital with a $30 million medical malpractice verdict – the largest ever awarded in the county.

$30 million verdict- Hollins v Mt Sinai, et al, Court of Common Pleas, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Case No. 484240 (birth trauma)

A Cuyahoga County jury held in favor of a brain-damaged 17-year-old boy and slammed a doctor and hospital with a $30 million medical malpractice verdict – the largest ever awarded in the county. Walter Hollins of Cleveland, who has the mental capacity of a 1-year-old, clapped when the verdict was announced, but couldn’t comprehend the historic event unfolding in Judge Robert Lawther’s courtroom. The panel of four men and four women decided 6-2 that Dr. Ronald Jordan and the medical staff at the now-defunct Mt. Sinai Medical Center were negligent at the boy’s birth Jan. 29, 1987. Witnesses testified that Harris waited for more than two hours to receive an emergency Caesarean section, during which time the flow of oxygen was cut off to Walter’s brain. The majority of jurors found that the doctor and hospital staff shared responsibility for Walter’s injuries, which include cerebral palsy and no use of his arms or legs. His condition is incurable. Attorney Geoffrey Fieger had asked the jury for $35 million in damages to pay for round-the-clock nursing care for Walter, future surgeries, lost earnings and pain and suffering. “If I were the defense, I don’t think I would have taken me on in the first place,” said Fieger, who called the circumstances of Walter’s birth some of the most horrific he had ever seen. The majority of the jurors agreed. Although Mt. Sinai no longer exists, a $77 million insurance fund remains to be tapped for damages, Fieger said.

Outnumbered by men 80 to 1, a female millwright suffered abuse for years at Daimler Chrysler.

$30 million verdict – Gilbert v DiamlerChrysler, Circuit Court of Wayne County, Michigan, Case No. 94 409216 NH (1999) (sexual harassment)

Outnumbered by men 80 to 1, a female millwright suffered abuse for years at Daimler Chrysler. Geoffrey Fieger won a $30 million judgment against the automaker in the sexual harassment case. This is the largest single sexual harassment verdict in U.S. history.

In 2008, Fieger Law won the largest verdict in Pennsylvania history on behalf of a 12-year-old boy shot by police.

Hickenbottom v Nassan, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Case No. 03-223 (police misconduct/excessive force)

In 2008, Fieger Law won the largest verdict in Pennsylvania history on behalf of a 12-year-old boy shot by police. A federal jury awarded $28 million in damages to the family of Michael Ellerbe, a Uniontown, Pennsylvania boy who was intentionally shot in the back on Christmas Eve in 2002 by two state troopers. The boy, who was driving a stolen SUV, was unarmed. It was the first wrongful death verdict against Pennsylvania State Police in recent memory and the largest payment ever imposed against the agency. “This is an American child who was shot in the back in broad daylight, and it was covered up,” Geoffrey Fieger said, applauding the jury’s decision. “It means that justice still exists.”

Geoffrey Fieger won a $26 million verdict in a case involving an infant whose hypoglycemia went untreated at Washington Hospital, Washington, Penn.

Taylor v. Washington Hospital, et al, Common Pleas of Washington County, Pennsylvania, 94-5117 (medical malpractice)

Geoffrey Fieger won a $26 million verdict in a case involving an infant whose hypoglycemia went untreated at Washington Hospital, Washington, Penn. All the baby needed was a thimble full of sugar water. Instead, it was left to suffer brain damage, and will need life-long, around-the-clock care. This was the largest verdict in western Pennsylvania history.

A Wayne County Jury awarded $25,000,000 to the family of William Owen.

A Wayne County Jury awarded $25,000,000 to the family of William Owen, after a trial in which Geoffrey Fieger proved a parking enforcement officer for the City of Dearborn was grossly negligent when his police car struck a car driven by Mr. Owen.

A Wayne County Circuit Court jury awarded Fieger Law $25 million to a 24-year-old Detroit man who was injured while working at a National Steel Corp. – now U.S. Steel Corp. – mill on Zug Island in 2003.

Ashley v. National Steel Corporation, Circuit Court of Wayne County, Michigan, Case No: 03-316563-NO (2004) (gross negligence)

A Wayne County Circuit Court jury awarded Fieger Law $25 million to a 24-year-old Detroit man who was injured while working at a National Steel Corp. – now U.S. Steel Corp. – mill on Zug Island in 2003. Jerry Ashley, who was hired to work in the mill to shovel steel shavings, was crushed under a 10-ton steel wall that fell on March 17, 2003, causing brain damage and other injuries, Fieger said. Fieger touted the verdict for his client as one of the largest of the year.

In 1999, Geoffrey Fieger obtained a $25 million jury verdict for the family of Scott Amedure against The Jenny Jones Show and Warner Brothers in the Oakland County Circuit Court.

Amedure v Warner Brothers, Circuit Court of Oakland County, Michigan, 95-494536-NZ (1999) (wrongful death/negligence)

In 1999, Geoffrey Fieger obtained a $25 million jury verdict for the family of Scott Amedure against The Jenny Jones Show and Warner Brothers in the Oakland County Circuit Court. In that case-which was nationally televised daily by Court TV and referred to as The Jenny Jones case, Scott Amedure was shot and killed three days after appearing on the Jenny Jones show where he was enticed to reveal a “secret crush” that he had on his friend Jonathan Schmidt. The jury found that The Jenny Jones Show was negligent in the manner in which they deceived the show guests and incited strong emotional reactions to be revealed on live TV only to push their guests out the door once the lights and cameras were turned off. Upon returning to Detroit, Schmidt was so humiliated by the manner in which the show was conducted that he shot and killed Amedure in cold blood.

Semi truck driver was using phone before fatal crash

Negligent use of pitocin Among birth injury claims.

Staffer failed to recognize fetal distress signs.

Woman killed while riding bicycle on U.S. 31.

Experts: Baby should have qualified for cesarean.

Delay in calling C-section resulted in disabilities.

Plaintiff suffered brain injury from MRI study.

Liability disputed in minor’s death.

Auto Negligence

Defendant was distracted by coffee, phone before crash.

General negligence led to severe injuries.

Plaintiff suffered numerous injuries in freeway crash.

Mother dies, daughter injured in crash.

Pedestrian struck, killed by Alma city bus.

6-year-old Robert Turner called 911 after his mother passed out and fell to the ground. Defendant Nichols, a 911 emergency service operator with the City of Detroit, was terminated for failing to respond to the call. Robert was trapped in the room while his mother died.

Plaintiff struck while walking in crosswalk.

Negligence alleged in plaintiff’s death.

Plaintiff suffers life-altering injuries in crash.

Geoffrey Fieger wins top verdict in Michigan for 2018

Attorney Geoffrey Fieger was recognized for earning the number one verdict of the year — $136.7 million in a medical malpractice case — in 2018 Million Dollar Verdicts & Settlements, an annual publication by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

The case involved a 10-year-old girl who underwent spinal fusion surgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan to correct scoliosis and a spinal anomaly in 2011. After the surgery, she complained of tingling and numbness in her hands and feet which progressed up her extremities, resulting in decreased muscular function and loss of bladder and bowel control. A second surgery was performed five days later resulting in further spinal cord compression and complications. The following day, an urgent third surgery removed the hardware installed in the previous procedures, but she was left unable to walk normally, and with incontinence and loss of dexterity in her right hand — in addition to severe depression, loss of earning capacity, chronic pain and medical expenses — for the rest of her life.

On behalf of the plaintiffs, Fieger claimed negligence, gross negligence, surgical errors, and failure to perform proper exams within 24 hours of the onset of complications.

Following a 2-week jury trial before Judge Brian Sullivan in Wayne County Circuit Court, the jury returned a verdict of $136.7 million on July 2, in favor of the plaintiffs.

In addition to this top verdict, Geoffrey Fieger, his Partner James Harrington !V, and the attorneys of Fieger Law in Southfield, Mich., earned 23 other top verdicts and settlements in 2018, totalling more than $235 million, according to the publication.

Other Fieger Law attorneys recognized in the special issue include Greg Wix, Todd Weglarz, Chris Collis, David Dworetsky, Stephanie Arndt, James Craig, James McCullen and Don Dawson.