Huge Win: Peter Tuenge, Melissa Tahir, and Paralegal Lily Boynton Obtain Defense Verdict in Labor and Delivery Malpractice Lawsuit
Shareholder Peter Tuenge and senior counsel Melissa Tahir, with the help of paralegal Lily Boynton, obtained a defense verdict on behalf of Legacy Health and Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital in Clark County, Washington in May 2025. The case was remarkable in many ways, including that the plaintiffs asked the jury for $75,000,000, which was the largest ask for damages to a jury on a personal injury case in the history of Legacy Health. Plaintiffs claimed the hospital nurses were negligent by not notifying the attending obstetrician that delivery was imminent, which resulted in a nurse-only attended delivery. Plaintiffs claimed that because there was no obstetrician present to deliver the baby the plaintiff mother suffered a grievous vaginal tear causing permanent vaginal and rectal dysfunction. After six days of trial, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of the hospital nursing staff.
