Jury Awards Darien Woman Over $30M In Medical Malpractice Case

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Jury Awards Darien Woman Over $30M In Medical Malpractice Case A Darien woman claimed in a lawsuit she sustained serious and permanent injuries as a result of a cesarean section in 2014.

DARIEN, CT — A Stamford jury on Oct. 11 awarded $30.3 million to a Darien woman who claimed in a lawsuit she sustained serious and permanent injuries as a result of a cesarean section during the birth of her first child in December 2014.

Elizabeth Tigani was admitted to Greenwich Hospital in the early morning hours of Dec. 6, 2014, after her water broke, according to the lawsuit. Greenwich Hospital was withdrawn from the complaint in fall of 2023, case files note.

The following morning after a prolonged second stage of labor, Dr. Sara Elias, a gynecologist employed by Westchester Medical Group, now known as Summit Health, advised Tigani that she needed a cesarean section to deliver her baby, and Tigani consented, the lawsuit claimed.

However, the lawsuit claimed that Elias "failed to affirmatively recommend... a timely cesarean section," and that during the procedure, Elias "utilized improper surgical techniques, causing Ms. Tigani to sustain serious and permanent injuries," to her spine, bladder, and uterus, among other areas.

The procedure left Tigani unable to have children in the future, except through surrogacy, according to the complaint.

After four hours of deliberations over two days, a jury agreed and found Elias was negligent during the procedure.

"The verdict is significant for us because it's a verdict that vindicates the health of the mother. Despite the fact they argued at trial that the baby was OK, and therefore they did their job, we thought it was important to vindicate the health of the mother with this verdict," said Sean K. McElligott, who represented Tigani with David Golub of Silver Golub & Teitell.

McElligott said it has "definitely been a long road" since the lawsuit was first filed in September 2016, and he said he was happy Tigani's "courage was rewarded with a just verdict."

Golub agreed.

"We're very appreciative that the jury understood the case and were able to determine the issues in Liz's favor. It was a long process, partly because of COVID, but also because litigation is always long and difficult. It's a very rewarding result for Liz," Golub said.

Westchester Medical Group received an "offer of compromise" for $1.2 million in 2018, but it wasn't accepted and litigation continued.

Because the amount awarded in the jury verdict was higher than the offer of compromise, interest is applied to the verdict dating back to 2018, McElligott explained. Therefore, Tigani can receive as much as $68 million.

Representation for the defendants did not respond to an emailed request for comment on Wednesday.