A dental patient has been awarded a whopping $15 million for her oral surgeon‘s failure to diagnose her precancerous lesion. However, her own lawyer acknowledges that $600,000 is the most she can actually hope to receive.
The Michigan woman, now 61, saw her general dentist in 2005 for jaw pain. She was first referred to a periodontist, who noted a lesion. She was then referred to an oral surgeon who did not biopsy the lesion.
She tried to sue all three dentists, but that case ended in a hung jury. She settled out of court with the general dentist. The periodontist prevailed in his trial, but the oral surgeon was not so lucky.
A 1996 Michigan law caps malpractice payouts at $416,000.