Man Awarded $224,905 for Unnecessary Medical Procedure

Harris County, TX: A man who underwent a surgical procedure to have his gallbladder removed, unnecessarily, has won his medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctors responsible, and the jury awarded him $224,905.

Apparently, the surgeons couldn't find George Knotts' gallbladder during the surgical procedure, so it was deemed that Knotts had already had it taken out.

Knotts, who was 36 years old at the time, had had an ultrasound which had reportedly revealed the presence of stones in his gallbladder. The radiologist, who was one of the defendants, contended that a section of bowel loop looked like the gallbladder on the ultrasound, while the surgeon argued it was reasonable for him to rely on the radiologist's interpretation. The jury found the radiologist 70 percent and the surgeon 30 percent liable.