Sharon Kimble died hours after undergoing outpatient surgery at the Laser Spine Institute in Philadelphia. Her death was attributed to the cocktail of opioids and depressants administered to her during the operation. The jury awarded the victim’s husband, Robert Kimble, $10 million in wrongful death damages in a trial held in March 2018…apnews, Court voids $10M payout in fatal spinal surgery case, 2020
Laser Spine Institute appealed the money awarded. Judge Murray denied its plea but concluded that the amount awarded in damages is “far greater” than those issued in similar cases in the state. She cited examples of verdicts in other such cases that didn’t exceed $2.5 million.
The case now remains under the jurisdiction of the Chester County Court for a new trial focused specifically on the amount the institute must pay in wrongful death damages.