A Union County jury has found Union General Hospital Inc. liable for medical malpractice and negligent credentialing in a case involving Anna Giacomi, a former patient who required a double amputation due to a bacterial infection that spread during her stay at the hospital and nursing home in December 2015. The jury awarded Giacomi $47 million in damages, with Union General responsible for $23.5 million, pending an appeal. The civil trial, which began in July 2024, was conducted in two phases and presided over by Judge James E. Cornwell.
The jury determined that Union General Hospital and its employees were responsible for multiple delays in Giacomi’s medical care, leading to the progression of her infection. The damages were apportioned with 5% attributed to Union General for medical malpractice, 45% for negligent credentialing of Dr. James Heaton, 45% to Heaton himself, and 5% to Dr. Janaki Narravula, though neither doctor was a defendant in the case. Georgia’s Apportionment Statute allows responsibility to be assigned to non-defendants based on the percentage of harm caused.
Union General has denied the claims of medical malpractice and negligent credentialing. CEO Kevin Bierschenk stated that the hospital is focused on providing quality care and noted that legal proceedings are still ongoing, with an appeal expected in the coming days. During the trial, several former defendants were dismissed from the case, leaving Union General Hospital as the sole defendant.
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