A Portland judge has denied a Brunswick health provider’s request for a new trial after a jury last year awarded a mother $25 million in damages related to the death of her teenage daughter.
District Judge Michael Duddy also denied a request from Mid Coast Medical Group to reduce the amount it must pay. Attorneys said it was the largest medical malpractice verdict in state history.
Attorneys for both sides have filed notices of appeal to have the case considered by Maine’s highest court.
The Cumberland County jury reached its verdict in September after finding that Mid Coast’s negligence contributed to the death of Jasmine Vincent in 2021. Jurors awarded Vincent’s mother, Lyndsey Sutherland, $15 million for Vincent’s conscious pain and suffering, and $10 million for what her mother lost in companionship.
Sutherland will not receive the full amount because of a $750,000 cap on certain wrongful death damages, set by state law. Sutherland’s attorney, Meryl Poulin, said they plan to challenge the constitutionality of the cap.
Duddy wrote that the jury’s verdict was justified based on the evidence shared during Sutherland’s weeklong trial.
“In this case, the jury heard evidence about the unfathomable loss of a wonderful young lady after suffering for a week, and the grief of a mother whose life will never be the same,” Duddy wrote in an order, filed March 4. “There is ample competent evidence in the record to support the jury’s verdict, and the verdict bears a rational relationship to the evidence.”
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Emily Allen can be reached at [email protected].
