Case Results of Stephanie C. Hoffer

This case involved a women that was being treated for a broken leg. During rehab, she fell, breaking her other leg. Although economic damages were low, the jury awarded ten times that for non-economic damages.

Our client hired an attorney to pursue a medical malpractice / wrongful death case following the death of her husband. The attorney failed to file within the statute of limitations deadline. We achieved a judgment in the maximum amount allowed by law.

Hoffer & Sheremet won this medical malpractice trial in Grand Traverse County in 2019. It was the first medical malpractice patient victory in that county since 1997. We filed (and won) numerous motions in limine that forced the defense to narrow their theory and prevent juror confusion. We also developed a streamlined infographic titled "Pathways to Verdict" that we used throughout the trial to help guide the jury through the theory of our case.

In this case, we alleged that our client's claim was one for ordinary negligence instead of medical malpractice. This meant that there was no cap on non-economic damages. We won the argument at the trial court level. That decision was affirmed in a published Court of Appeals opinion.

In this appeal, we were able to reverse a dismissal against a child-patient and his family. The case involved the failure of the hospital to have an interpreter available, leaving the parents unable to communicate with healthcare providers.