Malpractice Lawsuit Breaks State Record

A jury has awarded $26.1 million to a Sarpy County family who sued Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha after their child was sent home following a fall, then suffered seizures that left her permanently disabled. The award is a record for medical malpractice in Nebraska, but could be drastically reduced under Nebraska’s $2.25 million cap on medical malpractice verdicts. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the jury on Monday awarded $21.5 million for a lifetime of medical care and damages to 5-year-old Vivianne Marousek and another $4.6 million to her parents. The jury found that Children's and one of its doctors improperly discharged Vivianne in 2017 after she suffered brain trauma in an accidental fall.