Jury awards patient $500,000 over medical malpractice, defamation claims

A jury ordered an anesthesiologist and her practice to pay $500,000 after a patient’s phone recorded the surgical team mocking him while he was sedated for a colonoscopy.

The patient intended to use his phone to record post-operation instructions but also ended up recording comments by the anesthesiologist, Tiffany M. Ingham. In the recording, she can be heard insulting the patient, making comments implying he had syphilis or tuberculosis, and admitting she was going to misdiagnosis him for hemorrhoids. 

The jury awarded the patient $100,000 for defamation for the comments made regarding syphilis and tuberculosis, $200,000 for medical malpractice, and $200,000 in punitive damages.

Source: The Washington Post