Former Dallas Cowboy football player Ron Spring has been in a coma since late 2007 after having surgery to remove a cyst; he is one of several plaintiffs challenging Texas' medical malpractice cap in a lawsuit filed at the end of February.
In Springs' case, the claim is that anesthesiologist Joyce Abraham and plastic surgeon David Godat were negligent in a 2007 cyst removal procedure in which Springs suffered a severe reaction to anesthesia, resulting in cardiac arrest.
The lawsuit challenges the 2003 Medical Malpractice and Tort Reform Act that limits awards in Texas. The lawsuit asks the court to declare the cap unconstitutional. In 2003 the Texas Legislature passed the Medical Malpractice and Tort Reform Act, which set an award limit of $250,000 per plaintiff in cases where medical malpractice had been proved.
Source: The International Herald Tribune.
