It was done to relieve stress fractures in both legs, requiring that he undergo 13 additional surgeries and leaving him unable to walk without pain…medicalmalpracticelawyers, Oregon Medical Malpractice Jury Awards More Than $20M To Former Soccer Goalkeeper
Gleeson had settled with other defendants before trial, including with Dr. Jonathan Greenleaf and the Oregon Outpatient Surgery Center, where the original surgery had been performed. The defense had argued during trial that the sterilization technique used on the plates, called Immediate-Use Steam Sterilization (IUSS), was sufficient, that infection is a common risk of surgery, and that Gleeson’s complications were not the fault of Dr. Edelson.
The Oregon medical malpractice jury awarded Gleeson $413,533.18 for past medical expenses, $387,500 for future medical expenses, $2 million for past lost wages, $2.145 million for future impaired earning capacity, and $15.675 million for non-economic damages.
In addition to the allegations regarding improperly sterilized plates implanted during surgery, Gleeson alleged that more conservative medical treatment should have been tried before recommending surgery, and that there was no clear orthopedic necessity to implant the plates.