Robins, Kaplan, Miller, & Ciresi, L.L.P.

Medical Malpractice Attorneys

We Have Faith in Justice

We understand that most people trust they will get the care they need when they walk into a doctor's office or a hospital. No one who entrusts their health and well-being to a medical expert anticipates a catastrophe. At Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., we advocate for people experiencing pain, suffering and loss because medical malpractice has changed their lives forever.

We Embrace Hope

We take a stand for what is right and bring a different kind of healing to those whom medicine has failed. Many of our medical malpractice lawyers have decades of experience understanding and representing individuals and families who have suffered a devastating outcome as a result of medical negligence.  Lawyers Kathleen Flynn Peterson, Terry Wade, Chris Messerly, Peter Schmit, and Philip Sieff are consistently named Super Lawyers and they are listed in Best Lawyers in America. Some of our lawyers have appeared on CBS News, Good Morning America (ABC), Dateline NBC, and other news programs.

While no one can ever make things the way they used to be, our clients often find that access to justice brings them a sense of relief and security.

We Believe in You

We understand that a serious medical wrongdoing causes deep personal pain. Our on-staff, legal nurse consultants have heard heartbreaking stories told by optimistic people who trusted a medical professional only to wake up one day and find their lives would never be the same again. If you find yourself facing similar circumstances, we are here to listen.

We recognize that injured people rarely have the money to pay for an expensive lawsuit, so we have made it a practice to underwrite all of the costs of medical malpractice cases, and to accept payment only if our clients are successful in obtaining a recovery against the defendant.  To contact us for a free case evaluation, please call 1-800-552-7115 (toll-free) or use the form on the right.

Our attorneys handle matters primarily in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. 

Selected Results*

• $5.6 million recovered after mediation in a medical malpractice case involving negligent failure to diagnose and treat bacterial meningitis resulting in serious and permanent injuries to our 34-year-old client.
• Obtained a $4,623,924 verdict for the family of a 36-year-old wife and mother who died due to the negligence of Monticello Big Lake Community Hospital, now New River Medical Center.
• 72 year-old man suffers cauda equina injury following back surgery, results in bladder and balance issues.  No wage loss but activities of daily life affected, no offer, verdict of $558,000, combined with prior settlement against co-defendant, total recovery of $783,640.
• Obtained a $4 million settlement for a woman whose doctor and clinic failed to properly treat her seizures.  Our client developed seizures following an angiogram procedure.  EEGs confirmed the presence of seizure activity and although two different types of anti-convulsant medications were used, the seizure activity was never stopped.  Our client developed increasing confusion and cognitive impairment.  She was transferred to the Mayo Clinic where non-convulsive status epilepticus was confirmed and the seizure stopped.  Our client continues to exhibit cognitive impairment which prevents her from returning to her professional work.
• Represented a woman who suffered facial scars and depression when she requested a light chemical peel by a dermatologist who then proceeded to perform a deeper acid peel.  Although our client asked for the procedure to stop when she was in pain, the doctor continued.  After seven days of trial, the jury unanimously awarded our client $986,639.11.
• In October, 2009, a Hibbing, MN jury returned a verdict in favor of the parents of a 21 month old boy who died of a ruptured appendix that had been misdiagnosed on two separate occasions in the days prior to his death including an office examination on the day before he died. The jury found the defendant physician's negligence caused the toddler's death and awarded $1.275 million in damages.
• Represented a client who suffered serious injuries after undergoing gastric bypass surgery.  The Minnesota Supreme Court held that hospitals owe a duty to patients to use reasonable care in granting hospital privileges to physicians.  This duty exists even when the physician is not an employee of the hospital.  This is the first time that an appellate court in the State of Minnesota has recognized a common law cause of action for negligent privileging.
• $2.5 million verdict involving a farmer who lost significant function of his bowel and bladder, along with use and feeling of both legs due to the failure of a neurosurgical team to promptly diagnose and perform surgery on a severe back condition.
• $1,050,000 verdict on behalf of a chemical engineer who suffered spinal cord injury due to surgical instrument, results in sensation and motor deficits. No wage loss but activities of daily life affected.
• $5 million settlement on behalf of a child with cerebral palsy.
• $9.6 million dollar settlement on behalf of a severely brain injured young woman.  This injury occurred when she was rear-ended in a vehicle.  The parties and details of the resolution are confidential.
• $4 million settlement against radiologists for failing to diagnose a brain aneurysm in a woman.
• Wrongful death of a married woman with no children, settlement in excess of $5 million.
• $2.5 million dollar jury verdict for wrongful death of a husband and wife.
• $11.1 million jury verdict involving a mother who suffered catastrophic brain damage because the ambulance failed to arrive in a timely fashion.
• $26.5 million verdict (plus 46% pre-judgment interest) for the wrongful death of a paraplegic man murdered by a home health aide.
• $7 million verdict against a hospital when a young psychotic patient with a history of epileptic seizures was not properly monitored, resulting in quadriplegia.
• $6.5 million settlement involving injection of inappropriate drug by interventional neuro-radiologist resulting in cosmetic injury necessitating numerous corrective surgeries.
• $5.4 million settlement for failure to appropriately monitor and treat known cardiomyopathy.
• $5 million settlement during trial for three plaintiffs in a pharmaceutical products case involving claims of cancer being caused by a drug.
• $4.4 million verdict against a medical clinic pertaining to a brain-injured infant.
• $2.8 million settlement involving the death of a man for failure to diagnose and treat sepsis.
• $2.5 million settlement against an HMO whose failure to diagnose a pulmonary embolus in a woman resulted in significant brain damage.
• $2.1 million settlement for failure to promptly administer antibiotics for kidney infection, resulting in death.
• $65,000 settlement for family of elderly gentleman who would have lived one additional year had his lung cancer been timely diagnosed.
• 2008 verdict of $1,123,448 in Wisconsin against anesthesiologist for placing a neck line in the carotid artery rather than the internal jugular vein resulting in a stroke in an elderly lady. 

Articles

• Recognizing Bariatric Surgery Medical Malpractice
  It is the responsibility of surgeons and staff to educate the patient and family on the symptoms of postoperative complications. Early recognition of these complications and meticulous attention to details are crucial for bariatric surgeons.
• A Perspective from Medical Malpractice Plaintiff Attorneys
  The relationship between doctor and patient is marked by a level of trust rarely found in other professions. This trust is the result of an age-old commitment by physicians to honor one basic creed: to place the interests of the patients they serve above all else.

• Enhanced Persuasion:  Effective Use of Demonstrative Evidence at Trial
  The most effective way for a lawyer to communicate information to a jury is through the use of demonstrative evidence.

• Minnesota Supreme Court Recognizes Cause of Action Against Hospitals for Negligent Privileging of Physicians
  Our medical malpractice lawyers represented a client in a case where the Minnesota Supreme Court held that hospitals owe a duty to patients to use reasonable care in granting hospital privileges to physicians. This duty exists even when the physician is not an employee of the hospital.

• Obtaining Justice When a Child Dies
  Representing a family in a child's death case can be a gut-wrenching experience. Tap into your own empathy and that of jurors to ensure that your clients get full and fair compensation for their loss.

• The Loss that Endures
  Some losses - of a loved one, a cherished activity, a dream for the future - leave a permanent void in a client's life. Creative advocacy can ensure that jurors understand your client's right to non-economic damages.

*Past experiences are reported to provide the reader with an indication of the type of litigation in which we practice and does not and should not be construed to create an expectation of result in any other case as all cases are dependent upon their own unique fact situation and applicable law.