Plaintiff, Edith McFarland was a 50-year-old woman who suffered from right foot drop and severe pain after a spinal surgery performed by Dr. Anthony Rinella. In March of 2016, Dr. Rinella performed a spinal fusion and placed the L4 right pedicle screw through the pedicle wall and breached the spinal canal. Edith woke up with horrible pain. Dr. Rinella went back to surgery the next day and removed the screw without replacing it with proper support/stabilization.
The case was brought before Will County Circuit Judge Barbara Petrungaro and lasted two weeks. The jury deliberated for almost twenty hours and ultimately rendered a $3.8 million verdict. Edith McFarland was represented by Brad Schulman and David Gallagher.
The case is Edith McFarland vs. Anthony Rinella, M.D., and Anthony Rinella, M.D., S.C., d/b/a Illinois Spine and Scoliosis Center, 2016 L 988.