$14,596,000 Jury Verdict for Chiropractic Malpractice

Carol recently tried a case against a physician who had referred his patient to a chiropractor after a cursory examination. The patient had complained of neck pain. Without ordering any tests or imaging studies, the physician concluded that there was a neck sprain and told him to see the group’s chiropractor for treatment. The patient was injured during neck manipulation and became a quadriplegic. It turned out that the patient actually had a bulging cervical disc, that was caused to herniate and compress the spinal cord during the manipulation. The patient sued the chiropractor and the referring physician. At trial, the jury was asked to determine whether the referring physician was negligent, and whether his negligence contributed to the patient’s injury. The jury found total damages in the amount of $14,596,000 and found that the referring physician was 5% responsible for the overall damages.