Lanzet v. Greenberg

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

O’HERN, J.

In this medical-malpractice case, a patient undergoing a rather common cataract procedure lapsed into a coma from which she never recovered. There was clear evidence of neglect by the operating-room physicians adduced from the testimony of the physicians themselves. Their testimony independently established that they did not know among themselves who had the duty to terminate the operation when the patient’s vital signs declined. The Appellate Division reversed a jury verdict for damages against the operating-room physicians and a consulting…