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According to metro.co.uk, the now-70-year-old plaintiff visited NuMale Medical Center in hopes of treating fatigue and weight loss in 2017.
NuMale Medical Center found guilty of fraud and negligence.
(Image for representation: News18)
A New Mexico man has won the largest-ever payout of $412 million (Rs 3,490 crore) in a medical malpractice case against the NuMale Medical Center. The jury’s verdict was delivered on November 25. The clinic’s negligence and deceitful misconduct led to irreversible damage to the plaintiff. The jury concluded that because of the clinic’s misdiagnosis, the man had to undergo unnecessary and invasive treatments.
According to metro.co.uk, the now-70-year-old plaintiff visited NuMale Medical Center in hopes of treating fatigue and weight loss in 2017. Instead, he was wrongly diagnosed with erectile dysfunction and given multiple invasive injections every week. The treatments included implanting testosterone pellets, which brought severe physical harm to the patient, according to a lawsuit filed by his attorneys in 2020.
The jury found NuMale Medical Center negligent and fraudulent. According to reports, the clinic’s staff had manipulated patients into treatments by instilling fear of irreversible damage if they did not comply. The corporate scheme was described by trial lawyer Nick Rowley as exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit, CNN reported.
Lori Bencoe, another attorney for the plaintiff, pronounced how serious the breach of trust was. “It’s a national record-setting case and it’s righteous because I don’t think there’s any place for licensed professionals to be defrauding patients for money. That is a very egregious breach of their fiduciary duty,” Bencoe was quoted by CNN.
Newsweek broke down the composition of the $412 million (Rs 3490 crore) award into two parts – punitive and compensatory damages:
Punitive Damages: Approximately $375 million (Rs 3177 crore) as a way of punishing the clinic for its behaviour.
Compensatory Damages: Approximately $37 million (Rs 313 crore) in actual losses and continuing harms the plaintiff has suffered and will continue to suffer due to the botched treatments.
As for NuMale Medical Center, the clinic categorically denied the court verdict and stated they would appeal against it. The President of NuMale Medical Center, Brad Palubicki, clarified the company’s stance regarding the issue in the statement to The Associated Press. Palubicki stated while they respect the ruling of courts, they will proceed with business and strive to offer responsible patient care and ensure safety in all their clinics.
The clinic is active in the states of Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
