This medical negligence lawsuit involved the failure to diagnose ovarian cancer.
The settlement in this lawsuit is one of the largest recorded in Illinois, at $3 million for the failure of a doctor to diagnose ovarian cancer in a 49-year-old lesbian. The woman and her partner filed the lawsuit alleging the radiologist at a Chicago hospital identified a complex cyst while completing an ultrasound. The results were sent to the woman’s doctor, with the recommendation that follow-up scans be done within 12 weeks. The follow-up scans were never ordered.
Fourteen months later, the woman was diagnosed with Stage IIIC, small cell cancer. If her doctor had ordered follow-up scans, her initially treatable Stage I tumor would not have grown into a non-curable, untreatable mass. By the time a diagnosis was made, the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and other organs. She required extensive chemotherapy and aggressive resection surgery. Her survival rate, despite the fact that she is in remission, has diminished significantly, due to the failure to diagnose her cancer earlier.
The attorney for the woman initially filed for just the plaintiff, but amended the filing to include the woman’s partner of 20-years. The pair is married and the partner is entitled to the same benefits other married couples may enjoy under Illinois law.
The couple face daunting medical bills. How would they pay them? One of the things they could have considered was filling out an application to apply for litigation funding. Once approved, they would be eligible for an emergency cash loan to help them with their medical expenses and also provide assistance in handling their day-to-day living expenses.
Pre-settlement funding is not ideal for everyone, but many plaintiffs find the benefits of a lawsuit loan to be very attractive. They do not need to have a job when they apply, are not subjected to a credit check, do not make upfront payments or monthly payments and should their case be lost in court, they get to keep the lawsuit cash advance with no strings attached.
One other major benefit that appeals to victims is that they do not need to deal with insurance companies who want them to settle as fast as they can, and take a lower amount of money than they are likely entitled to from the courts. They can refuse their offers and just wait until their case is settled, or heard in court. They need time to heal, not try and cope with insurance agents who want to close the case as fast as they can. Litigation funding is a very viable alternative if you have a cash crunch situation and need money to survive until your case is wrapped up.
Daren Monroe writes for Litigation Funding Corp. To learn more about lawsuit funding, visit http://www.litigationfundingcorp.com/.
