Natalini v. Little

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Beier, J.:

Plaintiff Joseph Natalini brought this medical malpractice action against defendant Blake A. Little, M.D., for failing to diagnose Natalini’s lung cancer. At trial, Natalini was still alive and was expected to survive approximately 8 more months. Although he outlived that prediction, he has died since this court heard argument on this appeal.

The issue before us is whether the jury properly awarded wrongful death damages to Natalini’s wife and adult children. We hold that no such damages were available in Natalini’s medical malpractice action…