Top Plaintiff's Verdicts by Dollar: Rahm et al. v. Southern California Permanente Medical Group, $28.2 Million

Medical malpractice

Los Angeles County

Superior Court Judge Marc R. Marmaro

Plaintiffs' attorneys: Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley LLP, Michael J. Bidart, Danica Crittenden; The Ehrlich Law Firm, Jeff Ehrlich

Defense attorneys: Taylor Blessey LLP, Denise Taylor, Jennifer Scher;

For Anna Rahm, the 23-year-old woman who sued Southern California Permanente Medical Group for medical practice after losing her leg, a $28.2 million jury verdict was the light at the end of a very long tunnel.

Over the course of five years, the case survived a petition to compel arbitration, two motions for summary judgment, two writs to the Court of Appeal, three petitions to the state Supreme Court, and an adverse published opinion. Rahm et al. v. Southern California Permanente Medical Group, BC441742 (Los Angeles County Sup. Ct., filed July 15, 2010).

Michael J. Bidart, managing partner of Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley LLP and one of Rahm's attorneys, said the significant hurdles throughout the case prompted them to narrow their focus to the medical negligence claim, even though they felt the cause of Rahm's condition was systemic.

In 2009, doctors rejected multiple requests for an MRI after Rahm reported severe back pain lasting months, as policy dictated they pursue more conservative treatments first.

On the fifth request, the MRI was authorized, and the source of the pain was discovered to be an aggressive malignant tumor. Removing it required doctors to remove her leg, half her pelvis, and fuse her spine.

Bidart said the fact that doctors were following policy prompted the plaintiff's attorneys, including Shernoff partner Danica Crittenden and appellate attorney Jeff Ehrlich, to pursue a bad faith claim against her insurer, which required court approval.

But their request was rejected in a published decision, allowing only the claims against the medical group to move forward.

"Regardless of the financial impediments that are set up in the system, the standard of care was violated," Bidart said.

Ehrlich said the result was especially satisfying as the team had developed a strong personal connection with the Rahm family. "It was gratifying in a way [many] lawyers get to only dream about," he said.

- Steven Crighton