Pennsylvania Superior Court Upholds $14.2M Verdict Against UPMC

The Pennsylvania Superior court has upheld a $14.2 million malpractice verdict against the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in the 2003 death of a 24-year-old accountant whose abscess was misdiagnosed as a brain tumor.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports a court panel on Monday upheld the verdict. A UPMC spokeswoman says the hospital network isn’t commenting.

UPMC appealed after two Allegheny County juries awarded damages to the family of Michael Rettger of Murrysville. The first jury awarded the family $2.5 million in a wrongful death verdict and a second awarded the family $10 million for income he would have earned during his lifetime. Rettger was an accountant for Ernst & Young when he died.

The verdict has since been increased by damages incurred during UPMC’s appeals, plus interest.