$31.9 Million Verdict Against Cleveland Clinic Weston for Death of Patient After Multiple Failed Intubations

On Friday, March 8th, 2024, after a 3-week trial, a Broward County jury rendered a verdict of just under 32 million Dollars. The verdict followed a 4th DCA reversal of the trial court’s Order allowing the Plaintiff to plead punitive damages in January of 2023.

The case was tried before Judge Michelle Towbin Singer by trial counsel Diana Santa Maria, of The Law offices of Diana Santa Maria, P.A. together with attorneys David Carter and Dane Ullian from the Law Firm of Gould, Cooksey, Fennel, and appellate counsel Phillip D. Parrish, of Phillip D. Parrish, P.A. The case was defended by James De Church and his trial team included Harry Cutler and June Hoffman of Fowler White Burnett P.A. in Miami

The case was filed in December of 2019 by attorney Diana Santa Maria, alleging medical negligence, including multiple failed intubation attempts of 51-year-old Saverio Sasso, who died because of an anoxic brain injury, leaving behind his 16-year-old daughter, Gabriella Sasso.

The Complaint alleged that Sasso was admitted to Cleveland Clinic Weston following two visits to Urgent Care with a case of UTI, which developed into pyelonephritis and sepsis. After being admitted for 24-hour observation with no continuous cardiac monitoring. Sasso’s medical condition worsened such that he severely decompensated and developed trouble breathing. An inexperienced team comprised of an intern, residents, a pulmonary Fellow, and later an Emergency Room attending performed multiple intubation attempts over the next 14- 15 minutes, depriving his brain of oxygen and resulting in an irreversible anoxic brain injury from which he would never recover.

Sasso was removed from life support and died on October 1, 2018. He is survived by his daughter, his fiancé, and his ex-wife, all of whom were present and testified during the 3-week civil jury trial.

Santa Maria said, “This victory for Andrea Oriolo, the Personal Representative of her fiancé’s Estate with no claim of her own, was much more personal. For the past 5 years, she has carried the torch for a promise she made to her fiancé, as he lay in a coma before he was taken off life support, to make things right and take care of his then 16-year-old daughter. The jury's verdict now allows her to fulfill that promise”.