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Cleveland Clinic Medical Malpractice Attorney

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When medical care causes harm instead of providing the necessary relief, the experience can leave patients and families feeling shaken, frustrated, and searching for answers. Questions about medical malpractice at the Cleveland Clinic often involve uncertainty about whether negligent care may have played a role and what options are available.

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The Cleveland Clinic’s size and reputation can make the idea of speaking up feel intimidating, but the Cleveland Clinic medical malpractice attorneys at Levin & Perconti understand the challenges this imbalance poses and the steps involved in helping families begin to move forward.

Call (312) 332-2872 to discuss your situation and get clear answers from our medical malpractice team.

Do I Have a Cleveland Clinic Medical Malpractice or Negligence Claim?

You don’t need to know for certain whether you have a medical negligence claim before speaking with a lawyer. Medical malpractice cases are complex, and many only realize something may have gone wrong after a complication, an unexpected result, or the wrongful death of a loved one.

A medical malpractice claim generally focuses on whether a doctor-patient relationship existed, whether appropriate care was provided, and whether a lapse in care resulted in physical, emotional, or financial harm. These pieces of information usually require a careful legal and medical review.

Our attorneys offer free, no-risk consultations to help you investigate and understand your situation, providing clarity even if you’re unsure where it falls.

Cleveland Clinic Locations and How Levin & Perconti Can Help Nationwide

The Cleveland Clinic operates a vast health care network, listing more than 300 locations worldwide. While most facilities are based on their main campus in the state of Ohio, they also have hospitals and treatment centers in Florida, Nevada, and West Virginia. Because care is delivered across numerous locations, patients harmed by negligent treatment are not always located near where the care occurred.

Our firm supports clients in complex medical malpractice cases involving Cleveland Clinic facilities across multiple states. Multiple members of our team, including Attorney Dov Apfel, Seth L. Cardeli, and Megan O’Connor, are licensed in several jurisdictions, allowing them to evaluate and pursue claims beyond Illinois. In addition to multi-state licensure, we work closely with respected attorneys nationwide to ensure cases are handled effectively in their proper jurisdiction. 

Why Choose Levin & Perconti for a Cleveland Clinic Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?

Cases involving large health care systems like the Cleveland Clinic demand experience, resources, and a clear understanding of how medical negligence claims are investigated and defended. Our attorneys have spent more than four decades representing patients and families harmed by negligent medical care. With over $1 billion recovered in verdicts and settlements, we’re trusted nationwide to take on challenging cases and secure meaningful medical malpractice case results.

Notable Illinois Medical Malpractice Case Results

  • $17.7 million settlement for a former police officer who suffered a life-altering brain injury due to nursing staff negligence
  • $14 million record-setting verdict against a doctor and hospital for failing to follow up on abnormal chest X-ray findings, delaying a lung cancer diagnosis
  • $8.1 million verdict for a family whose mother died after a failure to diagnose lung cancer
  • $5.77 million verdict for a woman left paralyzed after a Veterans Administration physician failed to recognize worsening neurological symptoms
  • $5 million verdict involving fatal airway mismanagement during a medical procedure

Behind every result is a person or family whose life was changed by negligent care. If you’re wondering whether your situation may be similar, speaking with a medical malpractice attorney can help clarify the steps that may be available to you.

Most Common Types of Medical Negligence Claims

Medical negligence can happen in many forms and settings, often leading to serious injury or death for patients who trusted their healthcare providers. At Levin & Perconti, we handle a wide range of medical malpractice cases where healthcare providers fail to meet the expected standard of care, causing harm. We represent clients in various medical malpractice scenarios across Illinois.

Below are some of the most common types of claims our medical negligence attorneys handle in Illinois:

Anesthesiologist Error

Errors made during the administration of anesthesia can have severe consequences. These mistakes may include miscalculating the dosage of anesthesia, making intubation errors, or improperly monitoring a patient’s vital signs. Such errors can potentially lead to respiratory distress, brain damage, allergic reactions, or even death.

This occurs when a doctor incorrectly identifies a patient’s medical condition. It can result from inadequate medical histories, ignoring symptoms of serious conditions, or failing to order necessary tests. Misdiagnosis can lead to a lack of treatment, inappropriate or unnecessary treatments, and delayed intervention, potentially causing severe health complications. An estimated 12 million Americans experience a diagnostic error in primary care each year, and clinical misjudgment accounts for a significant percentage of these errors.

Cancer misdiagnosis is a specific and often devastating type of misdiagnosis. It represents a large portion of wrong diagnosis claims. Cases involve failure to properly read tests like Pap smears, leading to missed cervical cancer, or failure to biopsy tumors, delaying diagnosis and treatment.

Diagnosing heart attacks can be complex due to varied symptoms. Misdiagnosis can happen if symptoms are misinterpreted as less severe conditions like indigestion or anxiety, or if necessary tests like EKGs or blood tests are not conducted or are misread. Overlooking atypical symptoms in certain patient populations or failing to recognize silent heart attacks also contributes to these errors.

This involves a medical professional taking too long to identify a patient’s medical condition. The excessive delay in diagnosis can result in postponed treatment, reducing treatment options, and potentially leading to more severe health complications for the patient. Examples include delays in diagnosing conditions like lung cancer or postpartum issues based on ignored symptoms or test results.

A failure to diagnose occurs when a healthcare provider overlooks or misses a medical condition entirely. This lack of diagnosis means the patient does not receive the necessary treatment, which can have severe or fatal consequences. This can be caused by incomplete patient histories, neglecting symptoms, or failing to order appropriate diagnostic tests.

Healthcare providers are required to adequately inform patients about the potential benefits, risks, and alternatives of a medical procedure or treatment before proceeding. A lack of informed consent claim arises when a provider fails in this duty, and the patient suffers harm as a result of a procedure they did not fully understand or agree to.

These cases involve harm sustained by either the mother or the child during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or shortly after birth due to trauma or medical errors. Birth injuries can result from various mistakes, such as the improper use of birthing tools, failure to detect fetal distress, or delays in performing a necessary C-section. Common outcomes include brain injuries like cerebral palsy or brachial plexus injuries.

This broad category encompasses mistakes made by any medical professional, including doctors, nurses, technicians, and hospital staff, who fail to meet the standard of care. These errors can manifest in numerous ways, such as misdiagnoses, incorrect medication dosages, surgical mistakes, or failures in communication or charting. Overworked staff, inadequate training, or poor hospital protocols can contribute to these errors.

Errors in interpreting diagnostic imaging and test results are a significant cause of medical malpractice. A radiologist misreading an X-ray, a pathologist misinterpreting lab slides, or a technician misreading an ultrasound can lead to a missed or incorrect diagnosis of serious conditions like cancer or tumors, delaying critical treatment.

These claims involve injuries or death caused by defective medical devices. Defects can stem from the device’s design, manufacturing process, or marketing information. When commonly used devices like pacemakers or hip replacements malfunction, patients can suffer severe complications, leading to product liability claims against manufacturers or hospitals.

Healthcare Management Organizations (HMOs) or their affiliated doctors can be held liable for misconduct that leads to patient harm. This can include instances where an HMO doctor fails to diagnose a condition or disregards patient complaints, resulting in delayed or improper care and subsequent injury or death.

These preventable errors occur when healthcare professionals fail to follow best practices in prescribing, dispensing, or administering medications. Mistakes can include giving the wrong medication or dosage, administering it incorrectly, or overlooking dangerous drug interactions. Such errors can cause severe harm, including hospitalization, permanent injury, or death.

Medical negligence can result in severe and permanent spinal cord injuries. Cases may involve surgeons causing damage during procedures, or healthcare providers failing to recognize worsening neurological symptoms and delaying necessary intervention to relieve spinal cord compression. These injuries often lead to permanent disability or paralysis.

Residents in nursing homes can suffer harm due to the negligence or intentional acts of staff. This can include medication mismanagement, falls, neglect leading to infections like MRSA, or other failures to provide appropriate care based on the standard of care for vulnerable residents.

Mistakes made during surgery are preventable errors that can cause significant patient injury or death. These errors range from operating on the wrong site or patient to damaging nerves or organs, performing the incorrect procedure, or leaving foreign objects inside the body cavity.

Patients can acquire serious infections, such as Staph infections (like MRSA), while in a hospital or healthcare facility. If these infections are contracted or worsen due to negligent care, such as poor sanitation or failure to properly treat an existing infection, the hospital or staff may be liable for the resulting complications and harm.

Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN) malpractice involves negligence in care related to women’s health, including pregnancy, labor, delivery, and gynecological procedures. Errors can range from mismanaging labor and delivery, leading to birth injuries, to failing to diagnose critical conditions during pregnancy or performing unnecessary surgical procedures.

Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Malpractice at the Cleveland Clinic

Medical malpractice claims are subject to filing deadlines, but the statutes of limitations vary by state. Because the Cleveland Clinic operates in many locations, the timeframe that applies depends on where the care occurred and when the injury was discovered.

Levin & Perconti offers free, no-risk consultations and handles medical malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t pay attorney’s fees unless compensation is recovered.


Medical malpractice claims are typically investigated through a careful review of medical records, treatment decisions, and patient outcomes. Attorneys gather evidence, consult with qualified medical experts, and analyze whether the care provided may have deviated from accepted medical standards and caused harm.


Concerns about billing, cleanliness, or employee conduct can be submitted through the Cleveland Clinic’s patient relations or complaint process listed on its website. Filing a complaint may address administrative issues, but it is separate from pursuing a medical malpractice claim involving negligent care.

The average settlement for a medical malpractice lawsuit varies based on the nature and severity of the injury, but an experienced medical malpractice attorney can help explain what factors may be relevant in your situation.

Contact Levin & Perconti’s Cleveland Clinic Medical Malpractice Attorneys

If you believe negligent medical care at the Cleveland Clinic may have caused you or a loved one serious harm, speaking with an experienced attorney can help you understand your legal options. Our team offers free, confidential consultations, allowing you to ask questions and receive clear information regarding your situation. With no upfront costs, our no-fee-unless-we-win policy lets you focus on recovery while we guide you through the legal process.

Call (312) 332-2872 or contact us online to take the next step forward.

Legally Reviewed by

Michael F. Bonamarte, IV headshot
Michael F.
Bonamarte, IV
Managing Partner

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.

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Notable Results

$11.5 MILLION​
SETTLEMENT

child who suffered a catastrophic hypoxic-ischemic brain injury as a result of a negligent neonatal resuscitation and intubation

$17.7 MILLION​
SETTLEMENT

for a former police officer who suffered a life-altering brain injury due to nursing staff negligence at a Chicago hospital

$8.1 MILLION​
VERDICT​

on behalf of a family whose mother died of lung cancer in 2015 as a result of a failure to diagnose​

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312-332-2872