Johnson v. Auburn Urgent Care
Oct 16, 2019OUTCOME: $9,000,000 Verdict (Consulting)
A jury in Opelika, Alabama, awarded $9 million to the family of a young woman who died after being prescribed birth control pills that led to the development of a blood clot in her lung. A screening ... prior to her receiving the medication revealed that Hope Johnson had a genetic predisposition for blood clots, but the obstetrician-gynecologist prescribed the pills anyway. When Johnson became ill a couple of weeks later, a doctor at an Auburn urgent care facility at first diagnosed her with bronchitis and prescribed an antibiotic. She returned two days later complaining of sharp chest pains, and another doctor—who was on his first day working at the center and unable to access its electronic records—prescribed an inhaler. Johnson died the next day of a massive pulmonary embolism. The Auburn University student was 20 years old. A week or so before trial, the OB/GYN and clinic he worked for, Lee Obstetrics and Gynecology, settled their claims for a confidential amount, said plaintiffs lawyers Brett Turnbull of Birmingham’s Turnbull Law Firm, who is also a partner with Turnbull, Cain & Holcomb in Lawrenceville, Georgia.