THE DEFENDANT OPHTHALMOLOGICAL SURGEON’S MOTION TO SET ASIDE THE PLAINTIFF’S VERDICT IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ACTION WAS PROPERLY DENIED; CRITERIA EXPLAINED; PLAINTIFF LOST SIGHT IN HER RIGHT EYE AFTER CATARACT-REMOVAL SURGERY (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Mendez, determined the defendant’s motion to set aside the plaintiff’s verdict in this medical malpractice action was properly denied. Plaintiff lost sight in her right eye after cataract-removal surgery. The opinion describes the surgeries and the theories presented by the experts in great detail:
In a medical malpractice action, the plaintiff is required to show that the defendant deviated from acceptable medical practice, and that the deviation is the proximate cause of her injuries. A defendant’s negligence is the proximate cause when it is a substantial factor in the events that produced the injury … .. * * *
The jury, which is in the best position to assess the credibility of the witnesses, is entitled to assess his credibility and decide what weight it will give to his testimony … .. Great deference is accorded to the factfinders, who had the opportunity to see and hear the witnesses … . * * *
The documentary evidence and the testimony of all the experts created factual and credibility issues that were properly determined by the jury … . If the resolution of the case turns on the evaluation of conflicting testimony of expert witnesses, the resolution of such a conflict rests with the jury and not the court … . The conclusions reached by the jury should not be overturned as against the weight of the evidence unless “there is simply no valid line of reasoning, and permissible inferences which could possibly lead rational people to the conclusion reached by the jury” … . Rozon v Schottenstein, 2022 NY Slip Op 01278, First Dept 3-1-22
