Lilith
08-12-2003, 05:34 PM
A man claims two doctors at the Clinics of North Texas amputated his penis without his permission. Now he's suing the two physicians and the clinics' partnership group.
The trial is set for later this month. His attorneys are seeking money, but that’s not all they want. Hurshell Ralls wants his physicians to explain to a jury what happened to him.
Lawyer Harold White, who filed a suit on Ralls’ behalf, says that Ralls went in for surgery on his bladder back in 1999 and knew that the procedure could also include his prostate. During the operation the doctors suspected they had found cancer, but White says no one ever talked to the patient, or his wife, about removing his penis.
"It's a tragic circumstance that this man has lived with every day since this has happened, yeah, because physicians ended up involving themselves in medical care that did not follow the standards doctors expect of themselves and patients expect of their physicians," says White who is ready to take the case to court.
First, White says a patient has to give consent, and if a doctor removes tissue because of cancer-- there has to be proof that the disease was there.
White says doctors John Dryden and Farid Khoury should have waited 30 minutes for test results to be sure; but he claims in this case-- the tissue wasn't tested until after the fact.
"More tragically, it did not show there was any sort of cancer in my client's penile tissue," says White.
The case is set to go to trial August 25th in the 30th District Court. A visiting judge will hear the case because of the circumstances.
White says this is his client's chance to share his ordeal.
"You know, it's amazing how something like t his could've happened, never having had a discussion with this man or with his wife prior to the surgery concerning this, proceeding with the surgery even though it was not an emergency circumstance,” says White.
The Clinics of North Texas declined to comment about the case, saying that no one is allowed to discuss pending legal matters.
The trial is set for later this month. His attorneys are seeking money, but that’s not all they want. Hurshell Ralls wants his physicians to explain to a jury what happened to him.
Lawyer Harold White, who filed a suit on Ralls’ behalf, says that Ralls went in for surgery on his bladder back in 1999 and knew that the procedure could also include his prostate. During the operation the doctors suspected they had found cancer, but White says no one ever talked to the patient, or his wife, about removing his penis.
"It's a tragic circumstance that this man has lived with every day since this has happened, yeah, because physicians ended up involving themselves in medical care that did not follow the standards doctors expect of themselves and patients expect of their physicians," says White who is ready to take the case to court.
First, White says a patient has to give consent, and if a doctor removes tissue because of cancer-- there has to be proof that the disease was there.
White says doctors John Dryden and Farid Khoury should have waited 30 minutes for test results to be sure; but he claims in this case-- the tissue wasn't tested until after the fact.
"More tragically, it did not show there was any sort of cancer in my client's penile tissue," says White.
The case is set to go to trial August 25th in the 30th District Court. A visiting judge will hear the case because of the circumstances.
White says this is his client's chance to share his ordeal.
"You know, it's amazing how something like t his could've happened, never having had a discussion with this man or with his wife prior to the surgery concerning this, proceeding with the surgery even though it was not an emergency circumstance,” says White.
The Clinics of North Texas declined to comment about the case, saying that no one is allowed to discuss pending legal matters.