The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

A Dorchester, Massachusetts man has a lengthy scar and is now incontinent as a result of surgery for prostate cancer. Another side effect Manuel Barros now suffers from is erectile dysfunction. What makes this story so tragic is that the surgery was unwarranted because Barros did not even have prostate cancer. The pathology slides of Barros and another man were mixed up, and the Beth Israel pathologist who analyzed Barros biopsy in November 2009 mistakenly gave the diagnosis of prostate cancer. The surgeon who operated on him had to inform him after the surgery that he never had prostate cancer. Barros’ lawyer, Andrew C. Meyer, Jr., a Boston medical malpractice lawyer, has filed suit against Beth Israel in Suffolk Superior Court.

On the very same day, Meyer also filed another lawsuit (in Middlesex Superior Court) against a private laboratory on behalf of a man from Beverly, Massachusetts who situation was the exact opposite. He was told his biopsy was negative when he did, indeed, have prostate cancer. Thomas Cloutman, 53, had another biopsy about eight months later that was examined by a different lab and it was revealed that he did have prostate cancer after all. Cloutman had surgery to remove his prostate in January at Boston Medical Center, but the cancer has spread to a lymph node.

Tragic mistakes like this happen more often than most people realize and the results are devastating. If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, you need a medical malpractice attorney on your side. Please contact The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential, no-cost consultation so we may hear the details of your case.

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