Many patients in New Jersey fear receiving a misdiagnosis and not healing or improving in any way. Over 200 children received an epilepsy diagnosis and treatment plan from a Detroit doctor that did not have the medical condition.
The dangers of a misdiagnosis led to the accused pediatric neurologist giving up his medical license.
Malpractice lawsuits
Dr. Yasser Awaad treated these children for a medical condition based on misinterpreted or unperformed electroencephalograms over several decades. The children received diagnoses ranging from epilepsy to autism to attention deficit disorders. Unfortunately, the treatment protocol given for the misdiagnosis failed to treat the actual problem and caused harm in some cases.
Two high-profile cases against the doctor led to substantial rewards. In addition to the large sums paid out for these cases, he encountered regulators over another complaint in 2011. While he had another physician oversee his work and paid a hefty fine, he made the decision to give up practicing medicine after the most recent lawsuit.
Overdue justice
The malpractice lawsuits finally gave the children overdue justice. While Awaad claims he did not intentionally harm any of the children, the attorney for many of Awaad’s former patients states the doctor ordered EEGs repeatedly and accused him of fraud.
Medical malpractice can leave patients without answers for years, but an experienced attorney can help them find the answers and attain justice. Each state has limits on malpractice claims that can affect the award the victim receives. While Awaad claims to not have practiced medicine in over a decade, several victims won their case.
