Stowell v. Huddleston

ARNOLD, Circuit Judge.

After Dr. Paul Huddleston, an orthopedic surgeon, performed spine surgery on Manley Stowell for his back pain, Mr. Stowell awoke completely blind in both eyes; the apparent cause of this loss of vision was posterior ischemic optic neuropathy (PION), a rare medical condition that results from a stroke to the optic nerves. Mr. Stowell and his wife, Enid Stowell, then brought an action under Minnesota law against Dr. Huddleston and Mayo Clinic, claiming that Dr. Huddleston, though not negligent in performing the surgery itself, had negligently failed to inform Mr. Stowell…