Attorney Mary McNamara Koch's Legal Cases

Medical malpractice

Unnecessary Stent Procedures Performed at Baltimore-Area Hospital

May 23, 2014

OUTCOME: $37 million settlement

In a landmark settlement in the field of unnecessary stent litigation, St. Joseph Medical Center has agreed to a $36,825,000 million settlement for former patients of Dr. Mark G. Midei—a cardiologist w ... ho practiced at the hospital and has been accused of performing unnecessary cardiac stent procedures on hundreds of patients. The settlement could result in payments of at least $134,000 for as many as 273 patients. These 273 patients had stent(s) placed by Dr. Midei at St. Joseph Medical Center between January 2004 and June 2009 and received notification letters from St. Joseph Medical Center concerning its review of those stent placements. A stent is a metal mesh tube used to open blocked arteries in the heart; in the right circumstance, it can be a lifesaving procedure. But it is alleged that Dr. Midei—while improperly supervised by St. Joseph’s staff—performed the procedure repeatedly when it was medically unnecessary, exposing patients to added risks and expense. Lasting effects for some patients include life-long monitoring and drug therapy. Murphy, Falcon & Murphy is lead class counsel in the class action suit filed against St. Joseph on behalf of these patients.

Personal injury

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning at Hotel Causes Five Deaths

N/A

OUTCOME: $4.75 million

Murphy, Falcon & Murphy represented five women who were exposed to carbon monoxide while vacationing at a beachfront hotel in 2006. All five women—four of them family members—suffered varying levels of ... brain damage that have greatly affected their quality of life. Poor hotel safety management, and the resulting injuries, severely altered the course of these women’s lives. Two of the five women poisoned in the case were in their late teens and now face a difficult and unsure future, while the other three have had difficulty maintaining relationships and employment. All five felt a serious emotional impact from the trauma. Murphy, Falcon & Murphy successfully resolved the case for $4.75 million, after medical experts reported that the five women suffered from permanent brain damage.

Personal injury

Restaurant Workers Suffer Brain Damage from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

N/A

OUTCOME: $34.4 million verdict

Murphy, Falcon & Murphy represented twenty Inner Harbor restaurant workers who were exposed to leaking carbon monoxide over the course of two weeks in 2008. The release, which was discovered only when ... the leak exceeded 600 parts per million (ppm), was far over the Emergency Exposure Guideline Levels set forth by the Center for Disease Control for prolonged exposure. As a result of this extended period at risk, the employees suffered varying degrees of brain damage. These restaurant employees had unknowingly been placed in a dangerous work environment at the hands of negligent hotel management. Many of those injured were young people finishing their education and starting their careers, and the brain damage they suffered as a result of this incident has caused them difficulties in their ability to start the careers they had dreamed about and planned for. It has also caused many of them problems in personal relationships as they struggled to adapt to their limitations. Murphy, Falcon & Murphy fought to ensure that the quality of life for these employees was supported financially, including lost future earnings and medical expenses. After three months of trial, the jury awarded the workers a total of $34.4 million for the brain damage suffered as a result of carbon monoxide exposure.

Mary McNamara Koch's Legal Cases (3)

Unnecessary Stent Procedures Performed at Baltimore-Area Hospital

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning at Hotel Causes Five Deaths

Restaurant Workers Suffer Brain Damage from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning