Watkins v. Cleveland Clinic Foundation

James D. Sweeney, Judge.

Defendant-appellant Cleveland Clinic Foundation appeals from the jury verdict in favor of plaintiffs-appellees Birdie Watkins, by and through her guardian (and son), David Pollard, and her husband, Thomas Watkins. 1 For the reasons adduced below, we affirm in part and reverse in part, and vacate the award of punitive damages.

In April 1995, Birdie Watkins, a sixty-year-old woman, went to the appellant complaining of a sinus infection. Watkins was referred to Dr. Isaac Eliachar, an attending surgeon in appellant’s Ear, Nose, and Throat (“ENT”) Department, who noted that…