In the News
For our clients, we sometimes make history. Many of our major cases are reported in the Colorado news and set records. Here’s what Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. has been accomplishing lately.
Pilot Files Lawsuit Against Denver Interntional Airport After His Foot Is Caught in a Moving Walkway
February 15, 2024 – Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. attorney Brian Aleinikoff has begun a very high-profile injury case following a recent incident that occurred at Denver International Airport. A pilot has filed a lawsuit against the airport after he was injured due to his foot becoming caught in a moving walkway. Brian will be front and center, tackling the complex legal issues that will be in play as the case continues to unfold in the coming months.
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LPB Attorneys Win Over $8 Million for Birth Injury Victim
May 11, 2023 - A team of attorneys at Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. consisting of James E. Puga, Molly L. Greenblatt, Alex Wilschke, and Nathaniel E. Deakins secured a verdict for their client Aron Roudybush, by and through his conservators, Nora and Randall Roudybush.
During delivery, Aron suffered neurological injuries caused by the inappropriate use of a vacuum device. This device was attached to Aron’s head to assist delivery by providing suction and traction. But delivery room nurses were not adequately trained to use the device.
Expert testimony established that a hospital such as Penrose has a duty to “teach the nurses about the use of the vacuum.” The jury concluded that Penrose was negligent because the hospital didn’t “educate the nurses appropriately on an operative vaginal delivery.” The jury awarded $8,030,003 to the plaintiffs.
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Injured Colorado Children Now Can Recover Their Damages
December 13, 2021 - Leventhal Puga Braley attorneys, Molly Greenblatt and Julia Thompson assist in abolishing Colorado law that adversely impacted injured children.
These attorneys assisted in the amicus briefing in support of Colorado Plaintiff who was injured as a minor. An amicus brief is a legal brief filed to support a cause by a non-party to assist a court in reaching the just and appropriate outcome. In the Rudnicki case, the Colorado Supreme Court held that a minor’s damages for expenses incurred as a result of an injury are those of the child or the parents. The Court found that the old restrictive law was outdated and did not work in today’s society. This result will allow for a minor to be fully compensated for their injuries and will no longer allow a wrongdoer to hide behind this archaic law.
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Colorado Supreme Court Upholds Negligent Hiring Claim Against a Corporate Defendant
September 27, 2021 - LPB secured a major victory in the Colorado Supreme Court for clients whose child died as a result of malpractice during labor and delivery. The case is being handled in the trial court by Attorneys Jim Puga and Molly Greenblatt. The case was argued to the Colorado Supreme Court by LPB Attorneys Bruce Braley and Alex Wilschke. The Supreme Court overturned the trial court’s ruling which eliminated one of the claims against the corporate defendant. This decision allows the Plaintiffs to move forward in the litigation to discover the facts regarding a hiring of a nurse midwife. This decision has cured an inequity in the law that favored corporate defendants over the people of Colorado.
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LPB Attorneys Win Crash Victims Over $1,400,000 at Trial
August 23, 2021 - LPB Partner Julia Thompson, new associate Jed Greenblatt, and a first year associate recently won a verdict on behalf of their clients, Jeffrey, Chelsea, and Abbey Goldstrom. On September 14, 2017, Mr. Goldstrom and his daughters were all injured when the vehicle they were passengers in was struck, in a T-bone fashion, by Jorge Dominguez. Mr. Dominguez was driving approximately double the posted 35 mph speed limit when he ran directly into the rear passenger door area of the Goldstrom vehicle.
Jeffrey Goldstrom suffered a severely injured right femur which required surgical intervention and the insertion of stabilizing hardware. Similarly, both Chelsea and Abbey Goldstrom sustained severe injuries, including collapsed lungs, a broken collarbone which required stabilizing hardware, as well as numerous vertebra and pelvic fractures. The original verdict, announced on August 23, 2021, was for $1,407,617.14. The current judgment against Mr. Dominguez, with interest, is for $1,959,412.38.
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Kentucky Court Upholds $8.2 Million for Woman Who Suffered Brain Damage Due to Undiagnosed Aneurysm
August 18, 2021 - LPB Founding Partner, Jim Leventhal, recently won a major victory in the Kentucky Supreme Court on behalf of his client, Melanie Robbins. On August 18, 2021, the Kentucky Supreme Court declined to review the decision of the Kentucky Court of Appeals upholding Robbins’s $4.13 million verdict plus interest against Dr. Dianna Perazzo in Kenton Circuit Court on April 24, 2017.
Melanie Robbins presented to St Elizabeth Hospital in Edgewood Kentucky for an emergency evaluation of a sudden onset, 10/10 headache with signs and symptoms consistent with a brain bleed. A CT scan was performed that was misinterpreted as normal. Standard of care required an immediate follow up study that was not performed. She was discharged. A week later, a blood vessel burst in her brain, causing permanent brain damage and paralyzing her from the neck down. She filed suit against the radiologist for misinterpreting the CT and the ER doctor for failing to perform the mandatory follow-up study. Her original verdict was for $8,268,621.67, with Dr. Perazzo being assigned 50% of the fault. Robbins settled with Perazzo’s co-defendant after trial, and only Dr. Perazzo appealed. Her current judgment against Dr. Perazzo, with interest, is for $6,820,532.85.”
Read more from Justia
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Birth Injury/Birth Trauma Victim Awarded $8 Million
August 12, 2021 - Attorneys Jim Puga and Molly Greenblatt secured a verdict of $8,030,003.00 against Catholic Health Initiatives Colorado, doing business as Centura Health-Penrose-St. Francis Health Service, from a jury in El Paso County, Colorado
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Olympic Snowboarding Coach Receives $6.5 Million Verdict After Being Disabled by Colorado Medical Center
April 27, 2018 - In March 2013, Jody Blatchley, a New Zealand Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle coach, was training with his Olympic team at Keystone Resort in Colorado when he fractured his left knee and right heel. He was rushed to St. Anthony Summit Medical Center, a Level-III trauma center in Frisco, Colorado, and received emergency surgery on his broken left tibia. But negligent aftercare turned his treatment into a nightmare.
After his surgery, Mr. Blatchley developed compartment syndrome in his leg - a dangerous pressure buildup caused by internal bleeding and swelling, depriving the area of vital oxygen and nutrients - which went undiagnosed for three days. By that time, Mr. Blatchley was very ill, and multiple surgeries were required to attempt to save his injured leg.
Mr. Blatchley would end up leaving the hospital for good suffering from foot drop, curled toes, and a complex regional pain syndrome. Today, this former athlete is confined to a wheelchair.
The attorneys at Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. took Mr. Blatchley’s claim of medical malpractice to Colorado federal court, and fought hard on his behalf. On Tuesday, April 24, 2018, the jury returned a $6.5 million verdict against St. Anthony Summit Medical Center.
Attorney Jim Puga said of the verdict, "This money will pay for the care Mr. Blatchley will need for the rest of his life."
See video about Mr. Blatchley on BBC Sport
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Family of Woman Killed in Ski Lift Accident Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit
December 15, 2017 – On December 29, 2016, Kelly Huber of San Antonio and her two young daughters were ejected from the Quick Draw Express lift at Granby Ranch in Colorado. They landed 25 feet below in the hard-packed snow. Kelly was killed almost instantly, and her daughters were rushed to the hospital with debilitating injuries. Before this accident, multiple people had complained about the chairlift swinging and bouncing. A 151-page report released by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board afterward determined that the lift’s recently modified motor, as well as “rapid speed changes” made by an operator, caused the fatal fall. “They made a conscious decision that their revenue was more important that the safety of families and people getting onto that lift,” said Jim Leventhal, attorney for the Huber family. “You can’t ignore problems in front of you and hope they go away.”
See interview from Denver7
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Patients Falsely Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis File Suit Against Doctor
November 9, 2017 – Two women have filed federal lawsuits in Denver U.S. District Court against Dr. Gary Weiss, a neurologist who they claim misdiagnosed them (and others) with multiple sclerosis. Weiss proceeded to treat the women for MS, causing full-body pain, flu-like effects, and psychological difficulties. These false diagnoses were only discovered when Weiss was forced to sell his Vail-based practice over a separate allegation of unprofessional conduct.
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Kentucky Jury Awards $8.2 Million to Woman Who Suffered Brain Damage Due to Undiagnosed Aneurysm
April 6, 2017 – In September 2010, Melanie Robbins of Kentucky experienced "the worst headache of her life." When the headache persisted, Ms. Robbins went to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Edgewood, where the ER physician ordered a brain scan that was misread by the radiologist as normal. A mandatory follow-up test was not performed. Ms. Robbins was discharged and sent home. Twelve days later, she suffered a massive brain bleed from cerebral aneurysm that damaged her brain, resulting in her being able to only speak and use one arm. This 35-year-old woman had to live in a nursing home for seven years while her medical malpractice lawsuit against the hospital and misdiagnosing doctors was fought in court. St. Elizabeth Hospital settled for confidential amount. In April 2017, a Kenton County jury determined that both the emergency room doctor and the radiologist were negligent and awarded her a verdict of $8.3 million dollars. This money will be used to help Ms. Robbins establish her own residence, pay for her medical care to regain some autonomy, and provide for her now-12-year-old son. Jim Leventhal was lead counsel for the plaintiff.
Read more from Cincinnati.com
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Medical Negligence Victim Awarded $15 Million: ‘I Died That Day’
April 6, 2017 – A Douglas County jury has found an ambulatory surgical center negligent and awarded its patient millions of dollars in damages after she was paralyzed following a medical procedure.
Read more from CBS Denver -
Colo. paralyzed woman wins $14.9 million malpractice verdict
April 6, 2017 – Robbin Smith was given an epidural steroid injection with a drug that her attorneys said was clearly labeled not for use for epidurals.
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News Release: Douglas County Jury Awards 2nd Largest Medical Malpractice Verdict in Colorado
April 6, 2017 – A Douglas County jury has awarded Castle Rock couple Robbin and Ed Smith a $14.9 million verdict against The Surgery Center at Lone Tree – the second largest medical negligence verdict in Colorado history.
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Super Lawyers – Colorado, 2017 Magazine Feature Story on Jim Leventhal
March 17, 2017 – It was 1980, and Leventhal, then 32, was taking his first medical malpractice case at his new firm to trial. The facts were in his favor: His client had been prescribed an unnecessary hysterectomy. The problem, his opponent suggested, was that Leventhal was out of his league. He was a clothing salesmen turned public defender. He had no formal medical training and was facing off against two seasoned attorneys: one was a doctor-turned-lawyer; the other had never lost a case. Face it, the doctor-turned-lawyer told him at the start of the trial: He had no chance.
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Surgical tech’s case exposes multiple failings in patient protections
February 28, 2016 – Rocky Allen’s long road of addiction passed through five hospitals, four states and a deployment in Afghanistan.
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More Swedish Hospital Patients Test Positive For Bloodborne Pathogens
February 23, 2016 – There are more reports of tests coming back positive from Swedish Medical Center patients. The hospital suggested nearly 3,000 former patients get tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C after former surgical technician Rocky Allen was fired.
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Surgical tech accused of switching needles ID’d
February 4, 2016 – The now-former surgical technician who may be responsible for roughly 2,900 people needing to be tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C has been identified.
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Swedish: Technician Caught Swiping Needle In The Operating Room
February 4, 2016 – A doctor at Swedish Medical Center told CBS4 that a surgical technician was caught swiping a needle filled with fentanyl in the operating room at the beginning of a surgical procedure.
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Nearly 3,000 Swedish Medical Center Patients Urged To Get Blood Tests
February 3, 2016 – The Colorado Department of Public Health is investigating possible drug diversion by a former employee at Swedish Medical Center and some patients are being asked to be tested for possible exposure to diseases.
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Swedish Hospital patients being tested for Hep B, Hep C, HIV
February 3, 2016 – Roughly 2,900 people who had surgery at Swedish Medical Center the past five months are being notified that they need to be tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C as part of an investigation into a now-former surgical technician.
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Decisions and Incisions: Conveying the Medical Malpractice Client’s Perspective
January 21, 2016 – In medical malpractice cases, lawyers on either side can agree on one thing: Something terrible happened. But the stories about what happened diverge from there, and oftentimes so do the methods of telling them.
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News release: Jury Awards Largest Medical Malpractice Verdict in Colorado
Denver, April 3, 2015 – Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. attorneys Jim Puga and Sean Leventhal obtained a $17.8 million verdict against Children’s Hospital Colorado on March 27, from a jury in Arapahoe County – the largest medical malpractice verdict in Colorado history.
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$17.8 million malpractice verdict against Children’s Hospital Colorado
April 3, 2015 – Children’s Hospital Colorado has been hit with a $17.8 million verdict following a civil lawsuit filed in Arapahoe County District Court, according to an order filed March 31.
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Jury awards large malpractice verdict against Children’s Hospital
April 3, 2015 – An Arapahoe County jury has awarded a $17.8 million malpractice verdict against Children’s Hospital Colorado after finding the hospital’s staff responsible for giving the wrong dose of medication to a 4-day-old girl.
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News release: Former Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley joins Denver law firm Leventhal Puga Braley P.C.
Denver, April 2, 2015 – Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. announced today that Bruce Braley, a former Congressman from Iowa, has moved to Denver to join the firm.
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Former Congressman Joins Leventhal Puga Braley P.C.
April 2, 2015 — Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. announced today that Bruce Braley, a former Congressman from Iowa, has moved to Denver to join the firm.
Read more - PDF Download from Law Week Colorado
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