Date: 03-27-2010

Case Style: Family and Estate of Antwoine Key v. Dr. Dorina R. Abdulah

Case Number:

Judge:

Court: Superior Court, Suffolk County, Massachusetts

Plaintiff's Attorney: Lisa Arrowood and Jeff Catalano, Todd & Weld, L.L.P., Boston, Massachusetts

Defendant's Attorney: Philip E. Murray Jr., Murray, Kelly & Bertrand, P.C., Woburn, Massachusetts

Description: The Family and Estate of Antwoine Key sued Dr. Dorina R. Abdulah on a medical negligence (medical malpractice) theory claiming that Dr. Abdulah acted below the standard of care when she performed a physical examination of Key in 2001 and, as a direct result, Key died during a basketball game from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that often affects athletes. Plaintiffs claimed that Abdulah found a "slight systolic murmur" when she listened to Key's heart but still signed a clearance from stating that he was in "excellent health" and placed on physical restrictions on his participation in the East Connecticut State University student's participation in the school college basketball program.

Abdulah claimed that she had ordered an electrocardiogram to be performed at a hospital a few weeks after her initial examination, but Key never showed up. She also claimed that Key was cleared to play for the next 3 1/2 years and had six different physicals by five different providers, all of whom had Abdulah’s report of Key’s heart murmur.

Outcome: Plaintiffs' verdict for $1.6 million including $600,000 each in compensation for Antwoine's parents' loss, and $400,000 for the pain and suffering their son endured.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

Comments: Editor's Note: This case, based upon the newspaper reports about it, seems to be a bit thin on the issue of causation.