US$1 Million Awarded in Dental Malpractice Case

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USA: A Winchester Circuit Court jury has awarded Christine Frey, a Winchester woman, $1 million in compensatory damages after her dentist, Dr. Eric D. Starley of Winchester Oral Surgery Center, extracted nine upper teeth during a procedure in January 2023, despite her consent only being for the removal of lower teeth, according to an article published in the Winchester Star (https://www.winchesterstar.com/) by C. Max Bachmann.

As reported by the Winchester Star, Frey recounted the incident, saying, “I said, ‘Ha ha very funny,’ or as much as I could say through the gauze, and then his face just kind of fell, and he was like, ‘What do you mean, I thought that’s what you wanted me to do.'”

The three-day trial culminated in the jury’s decision to award Frey $1 million in compensatory damages, although they decided against further punitive action. Frey’s lawsuit had initially sought $2.5 million in compensatory damages for malpractice and $500,000 in punitive damages. 

According to the Winchester Star, Dr. Starley’s attorney, Tracie M. Dorfman, stated, “Dr. Starley did not do this on purpose. He thought she said all of her teeth and he admits that he misheard her.” Dorfman added that Starley was willing to pay for the estimated $130,000 cost of further dental work, but Frey had cut off communication.

Frey expressed satisfaction with the jury’s decision, stating, “I believe that the amount is certainly sufficient to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish from the start, which was to send a message and to hopefully not allow this to happen to somebody else.” However, she emphasized that no amount of money could compensate for the trauma she endured.

The Winchester Star’s article serves as the source for this news report, providing a comprehensive account of the dental malpractice case and its resolution.