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Fenner v. Durrani

Ohio Ct. App.September 26, 2025No. C-240498 & C-240499Cited 2 times
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Case Details

Judge(s)
Crouse
Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
Published
Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
appeal

Related Laws

No specific laws identified for this ruling.

Claim Types

Wrongful Termination

Outcome

Jury verdict in favor of plaintiffs on medical malpractice claims, but appellate court affirmed in part and reversed in part regarding damages awards and setoff entitlements.

Excerpt

MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE — INFORMED CONSENT — FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION — CIV.R. 42 — JOINT TRIALS — COMMON QUESTIONS OF LAW OR FACT — JURY INSTRUCTIONS — ADVERSE INFERENCE — EXPERT TESTIMONY — EVID.R. 601 — DAMAGES — CIV.R. 19 — PAST MEDICAL EXPENSES — PUNITIVE DAMAGES — R.C. 2315.21 — PREJUDGMENT INTEREST — R.C. 1343.03 — GOOD-FAITH EFFORT — R.C. 2323.43 — SETOFF — R.C. 2307.28 — R.C. 2307.25: The trial court did not abuse its discretion when it ordered joint trials for two plaintiffs because common questions of law and fact existed where the plaintiffs asserted the same causes of action against the same defendants and the expert testimony presented at trial focused on whether the surgeries performed on the plaintiffs were medically indicated, and because the record does not indicate that the jury ignored the trial court's instruction to consider each case on its own merits. [But see CONCURRENCE: Concurring in the majority's opinion on this issue subject to a caveat regarding the proper postjudgment considerations when assessing prejudice from the joinder of trials under Civ.R. 42.] The trial court did not err in admitting the testimony of an expert medical witness where the witness satisfied the active-clinical-practice requirement in the July 2023 version of Civ.R. 601(B)(5)(b), which assessed the competency of a witness to testify at the time of the alleged medical negligence, because plaintiffs' cases were pending at the time that the trial court applied the amended rule. The trial court did not commit reversible error in issuing an absent-defendant jury instruction advising that defendant doctor's absence from trial gave rise to a negative inference where it also instructed the jury that it retained the discretion to make or reject inferences. The trial court did not err in allowing the jury to consider and award damages for past medical expenses to plaintiffs where it conditioned the receipt of those damages on the requirement that plaintiffs obtain releases fr

What This Ruling Means

# Fenner v. Durrani: Court Ruling Summary ## What Happened Two patients sued their employer, Center for Advanced Spine Technologies, and a doctor named Durrani. They claimed the doctor performed spine surgery without properly explaining the risks and benefits beforehand, committed fraud in how the procedure was presented, and negligently performed the surgery itself. This case involved medical malpractice and employment-related disputes. ## What the Court Decided A jury found the doctor and center responsible for medical malpractice. However, the appeals court made changes to the damages (money awarded). The court partially upheld the jury's decision but reversed some aspects regarding how much money the plaintiffs should receive and how certain insurance payments would be subtracted from any award. ## Why This Matters for Workers This case reinforces that employers and medical professionals have a legal duty to honestly explain medical procedures and their risks. Workers who receive workplace medical care can pursue compensation if they're harmed through negligence or fraud. However, this ruling shows that appeals courts carefully review damage awards, and final compensation may differ from what juries initially decide.

This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.

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