$111 Million Verdict Obtained for Failed Orthopedic Surgery

On May, 17, 2022, a Minnesota federal jury awarded Ciresi Conlin client, Anuj Thapa, over $111 million following an error in diagnosing compartment syndrome, that left him with permanent, disabling and catastrophic harm to his leg.

A native of Nepal, Mr. Thapa broke his leg playing soccer in 2017 while he was a student at St. Cloud State University and underwent an emergency surgery to repair the fracture. He was discharged from the hospital roughly 20 hours later, despite the fact that Mr. Thapa experienced severe, difficult-to-control pain in his left lower leg, and experienced numbness, a burning sensation and reduced contraction of his muscles.  Six days later, Mr. Thapa returned to the hospital and was diagnosed with compartment syndrome, which is a painful condition caused by swelling inside the leg. He has had to undergo more than a dozen operations in an attempt to fix the condition and is left severe, permanent, and life altering injuries.”  Mr. Thapa will never walk normally again.

After a six-day trial in federal court, the jury determined that the orthopedic providers were negligent and awarded Mr. Thapa more than $111 million for past and further damages.

The case was tried by Ciresi Conlin attorneys Brandon E. Thompson and Rachel L. Barrett. “Mr. Thapa is an incredible person and we couldn’t be more pleased with this result for him,” said Mr. ThompsonMs. Barrett agrees, adding “We’re happy the jury was able to see how the medical system failed Mr. Thapa and do justice for him.” Mr. Thompson and Ms. Barrett were assisted by Paralegal Maggie Palmisano and Medical Analyst Anna Messerly.