News & Insights

Lightfoot Secures Defense Verdict for Alabama OB-GYN in Medical Malpractice Case

May 6, 2019

Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC attorneys Mike Bell, JT Thompson and Chris Yearout have obtained a defense verdict on behalf of an OB-GYN physician after a nearly two-week trial in Jefferson County, Alabama. The jury deliberated for just 20 minutes before finding for Lightfoot’s client. 
 
The medical malpractice lawsuit was brought by the mother of a child born with severe brain damage after an emergency C-section delivery. Lightfoot’s client treated the patient as the covering OB-GYN that morning and, along with hospital nursing staff, monitored her labor progress and fetal heart rate tracings. The patient’s labor progressed normally for several hours until the child’s heart rate dropped suddenly and an emergency C-section was ordered.

“We showed the jury that this tragic outcome was unforeseeable and unavoidable, as a matter of scientific fact,” said Thompson. “No one could have predicted, or prevented, the acute event that led to the child’s injuries. We demonstrated that our doctor’s actions were reasonable and appropriate, and the jury agreed after a very quick deliberation.”
 
Bell’s litigation career spans more than 30 years. He has defended clients in a wide range of matters, including those involving medical malpractice, product liability, commercial litigation, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, as well as class actions.
 
With 16 years of practice, Thompson defends healthcare providers in medical malpractice matters, media outlets in First Amendment disputes, and corporations in personal injury and product liability cases.
 
Yearout is in his eighth year of practice and focuses on medical malpractice, personal injury and product liability defense. He also has experience in toxic tort and medical device cases, as well as corporate recoveries and other commercial litigation.