$15 Million Verdict for Surgeon’s Failure to Properly Repair Broken Ankle

Linda Ripa, 30, was an aspiring model and actress when she was injured in a car accident that fractured her pelvis, sternum, and ankle. Roberta D. Pichini and Jason A. Daria brought suit against the surgeon who rushed her into surgery prematurely without telling her of the risks, and then improperly set her broken bones. Making the situation far worse, for months after the surgery, he failed to respond to her ongoing complaints of severe pain while the foot and leg were casted.

Medical experts testifying for Ms. Ripa at trial demonstrated that the surgery had left her foot permanently deformed, making it impossible to walk on the foot. Permanent nerve damage gives her constant pain. The surgeon refused to enter into settlement negotiations before trial and no settlement offer was made before the verdict.

Kelly Ripa, co-host of the show formerly called “Live with Regis & Kelly,” testified by videotape at her sister’s two-week trial in Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court.