Chicago Misdiagnosis Lawyer
If you have suffered harm because of a misdiagnosis, medical negligence may be to blame. Being misdiagnosed may deprive you of the care you need for your real condition or expose you to harmful, unnecessary treatment. Our Chicago wrong diagnosis lawyers can help you pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor, hospital, and others who contributed to your misdiagnosis. Call us today at (312) 332-2872 for a free consultation.
Quick Links
- Why Should You Choose Levin & Perconti to Pursue Your Misdiagnosis Lawsuit?
- What Types of Misdiagnosis Cases Does Levin & Perconti Handle?
- How Can Levin & Perconti Help Prove a Wrong Diagnosis?
- Types of Damages in Medical Misdiagnosis Lawsuit
- Who Can Be Held Liable in a Misdiagnosis Lawsuit?
- Time Limit to File a Claim for a Wrong Diagnosis
- Contact the Chicago Misdiagnosis Lawyers at Levin & Perconti
Why Should You Choose Levin & Perconti to Pursue Your Misdiagnosis Lawsuit?
Our Chicago wrong diagnosis attorneys have over 400 years of combined experience standing up to large medical malpractice defendants. We have developed the most effective and aggressive approach for each wrong diagnosis case and recovered over $1 billion in compensation for our clients, including numerous record-setting and headline-making settlements and verdicts.
We have the distinction of having won more settlements over $500,000 than any other law firm in the state. In 2020, Jury Verdict Reporter ranked our law firm in the top five Illinois law firms for total settlements. Many of our attorneys have won state and national recognition as Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Illinois Top 100, among others. Only the most accomplished attorneys in the state get included on these lists.
Senior partner and founder Steven Levin is a nationally recognized attorney and public speaker who regularly appears on network television news and has testified before Congress on matters related to medical malpractice.
Learn more about our firm and our unparalleled dedication to achieving justice for our clients by contacting us today.
Meet Our Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Past Client Testimonials
Don’t take our word for it. Hear from some of the medical malpractice victims we’ve helped:
I would highly recommend anyone who has experienced medical malpractice to reach out to this firm. All the lawyers that worked on my case were familiar with the medical terminology and law which helped them to be prepared for a case like mine. The lawyers always made sure that my husband and I were aware of what was going on with our case and how long to expect a wait. They made sure that we were comfortable with every decision that they made, and they advocated on behalf of me and my family in a fair but aggressive manner.
What Types of Misdiagnosis Cases Does Levin & Perconti Handle?
Our Chicago misdiagnosis lawyers have handled nearly every type of misdiagnosis case. We are passionate about holding negligent health care providers accountable for harming patients. By addressing each case, we hope to deter health care providers from negligent conduct and make medical malpractice rare.
Our work is far from finished. According to the latest statistics, an estimated 795,000 people die or become permanently disabled every year from diagnostic errors. According to an NBC News report, women and minorities are 30 percent more likely to be misdiagnosed than white men. We are an inclusive law firm that represents all victims of misdiagnosis.
Researchers have identified cancer, infections, and vascular events as “the big three” because they are responsible for three-quarters of all misdiagnoses that lead to serious harm. We have handled hundreds of these types of misdiagnosis cases and more. We can help if you have been misdiagnosed with any condition and harmed as a result.
Cancer Misdiagnosis
A cancer misdiagnosis often leads to the death of a patient who might have survived with an accurate diagnosis early on. We have won case results ranging from $500,000 to $14 million in cancer misdiagnosis cases, including the following:
- Lung Cancer – $14 million record high verdict against a doctor and hospital for not following up on and ignoring abnormal chest X-ray results, which caused a substantial delay in the diagnosis of lung cancer
- Lung Cancer – $8.1 million medical malpractice verdict for a family whose mother died of lung cancer after a failure to diagnose the disease
- Cervical Cancer – $2.3 million settlement over a laboratory’s failure to properly read pap smears, resulting in the misdiagnosis of cervical cancer and eventual death of a 35-year-old mother of three children
- Breast Cancer – $950K settlement over a physician’s failure to biopsy a known breast tumor, resulting in the delay of diagnosis of breast cancer, causing death
- Ovarian Cancer – $630K settlement against a physician for failing to perform an annual pelvic exam, which resulted in the untimely diagnosis of ovarian cancer
- Prostate Cancer – $500K settlement for a 59-year-old man whose doctor incorrectly interpreted hormone levels and failed to refer him to a urologist, delaying the diagnosis of prostate cancer for nine months
Vascular Events
Vascular events occur when a blood vessel becomes blocked or ruptures. The most commonly misdiagnosed vascular events are heart attacks, strokes, aortic dissections, and pulmonary embolisms. Misdiagnosis often occurs in the emergency room, but we also represent clients whose doctors misdiagnose heart conditions and vascular disorders that ultimately lead to these types of events. Our successful case results include a $1 million settlement with an HMO doctor who failed to diagnose a failing artificial heart valve, leading to the patient’s death.
Infections
Misdiagnosed infections can spread throughout the body and lead to serious harm. Many infections are treatable when promptly diagnosed after symptoms appear. We have represented clients who suffered the following misdiagnosed infections or lost their loved ones to them:
- Sepsis
- Pneumonia
- Meningitis
- Appendicitis
- Streptococcus
- MRSA
- HIV
In one of our cases, a five-year-old boy lost his life due to an undiagnosed infection that led to septic shock, respiratory distress, and a brain bleed. He had survived a bone marrow transplant from his brother to treat leukemia. Our medical diagnosis lawyers recovered a $2.25 million settlement on behalf of the bereaved parents.
Pregnancy and Birth
A misdiagnosis during pregnancy or birth can lead to death or permanent harm to the mother or the fetus. We have represented thousands of families of children with permanent intellectual and developmental disabilities as a result of misdiagnosis during pregnancy, during birth, or shortly after birth. We have also represented many families of women who died as a result of misdiagnosis during pregnancy or the postpartum period.
Commonly misdiagnosed conditions during pregnancy that cause harm include preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and maternal infections. Our Chicago birth injury lawyers have won record verdicts in pregnancy and birth misdiagnosis cases, such as the following:
- $9 million for the family of a baby who suffered permanent brain damage because a doctor failed to test the mother for Group B Strep meningitis during pregnancy
- $7.62 million for the family of a woman who bled to death due to a doctor’s failure to investigate complaints about postpartum bleeding
- $2.5 million for the family of a child who died at age two because a doctor failed to diagnose the mother’s immune disorder during pregnancy
Other Misdiagnosis Cases
There are tens of thousands of medical conditions, and any can be misdiagnosed. When this occurs, you can count on our Chicago medical misdiagnosis attorneys to hold your health care providers accountable. A misdiagnosis may even occur when the condition and its symptoms are common. We negotiated an $8 million settlement for the family of a woman who died because a hospital failed to diagnose and treat a kidney stone.
How Can Levin & Perconti Help Prove a Wrong Diagnosis?
Proving medical negligence requires significant financial investment, time, and stamina. Our financial resources allow us to invest every dollar necessary in consultants, expert witnesses, and private investigations to prove and strengthen your claim. We never accept less than fair compensation, and we are unafraid to take medical malpractice defendants to court because we know how to gather evidence that will withstand the court’s scrutiny.
When you choose our knowledgeable Chicago medical malpractice lawyers, you will get skillful representation from a resourceful, experienced team of attorneys with no upfront costs to you. If we fail to recover compensation for you, you’ll owe us nothing.
Types of Damages in Medical Misdiagnosis Lawsuit
You may be able to recover economic and non-economic damages in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Economic damages are compensation for your verifiable financial losses that stem from the malpractice, including the future costs of your injuries. Examples include medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages are compensation for intangible losses that impact your quality of life, such as the following:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disability
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of bodily members, systems, or functions
The amount you recover will vary based on your unique circumstances. The most important factors influencing your compensation are the severity of your injuries, your earning potential before and after the injuries, and whether your condition will be permanent. Unlike many other states, Illinois imposes no limits on non-economic damages, often resulting in higher compensation for Illinois medical malpractice victims.
Who Can Be Held Liable in a Misdiagnosis Lawsuit?
Any licensed health care professional contributing to your misdiagnosis can be held liable for the resulting harm. The law recognizes the following parties as health care providers:
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Radiologists
- Midwives
- Nurse practitioners
- Physician assistants
- Pathologists
- Hospitals
- Birthing centers
- Laboratories
We are often able to identify multiple responsible parties. We have successfully litigated medical malpractice lawsuits against all these parties in misdiagnosis cases, including in the examples below.
Hospital and Hospital Staff
We negotiated a $5.35 million settlement with a hospital and hospital staff on behalf of the family of an 18-year-old mother who died one month after giving birth because hospital staff failed to diagnose postpartum cardiomyopathy. In another case involving a postpartum death, we secured a $1.8 million settlement against the hospital and the doctor for failing to diagnose and timely respond to a sickle cell crisis in the mother.
Doctors
Our successful misdiagnosis claims against doctors include the following:
- $1 million settlement over a pediatrician’s failure to diagnose an 18-month-old boy’s meningitis, leading to permanent brain damage and hearing loss
- $950,000 settlement with a doctor who failed to diagnose breast cancer, resulting in the patient’s death
- $850,000 settlement over a doctor’s failure to diagnose and treat gestational diabetes, resulting in the death of a 26-week-old fetus
Radiologists
We negotiated a $3.6 million settlement in the case of a radiologist who missed a massive tumor on an X-ray, resulting in the death of a 29-year-old husband and father.
Laboratories
We recovered a $2.3 million settlement in a case against a laboratory for failure to properly read pap smears, resulting in the misdiagnosis of cervical cancer and the eventual death of a 35-year-old mother of three.
Time Limit to File a Claim for a Wrong Diagnosis
Like other states, Illinois has a statute of limitations imposing a deadline for filing medical malpractice lawsuits. The statute of limitations in Illinois is two years from the date of your injury. If you do not immediately know about the injury, you can file a suit within two years of discovering it but no later than four years after the doctor committed the error.
The statute of limitations can vary in different circumstances, and the laws are complex. Reach out to us as soon as possible. If you file your claim too late, you can lose your right to pursue damages for your injuries. Our skilled wrong diagnosis attorneys in Chicago can determine how the statute of limitations applies to your case and ensure we file it on time.
Legally Reviewed by
Bonamarte, IV
Read Bio
Since 2005, Michael Bonamarte IV has been a passionate advocate for victims of negligent conduct, corporate malfeasance, and medical malpractice. He has won numerous awards and recognitions, including Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers’ Rising Star. He has presented for the American Association for Justice, the AAJ Nursing Home Litigation Group, the John Marshall Law School, and numerous other legal associations. He regularly lectures at Chicago-area aging organizations about nursing home abuse. His writings have been published by the American Bar Association, the Chicago Daily Bulletin, and numerous other prestigious publications.
Related Pages
Notable Results
for failure to properly read pap smears, resulting in the misdiagnosis of cervical cancer and eventual death of a 35-year-old mother of three children.
for failing to biopsy a known breast tumor, resulting in the delay of diagnosis of breast cancer, causing death.
for failing to perform an annual pelvic exam, which resulted in the untimely diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Contact the Chicago Misdiagnosis Lawyers at Levin & Perconti
If you or your loved one has suffered harm from a misdiagnosis, you have a limited window of opportunity to hold the negligent health care providers accountable and recover significant financial compensation.
With more than $1 billion in successful case results since 1992, you can count on our capable attorneys to recover the maximum award available, but you have a limited time to act. Call our Chicago wrong diagnosis lawyers immediately at (312) 332-2872 or contact us online to schedule a free case review.
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