PENILE PAYOUT: Man awarded $412M for botched penile injections
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A New Mexico man was awarded a huge payout in a medical malpractice case after a series of botched penile injections.
The man, now in his 70s and who has not been named, received $412 million US in punitive and compensatory damages, which his lawyers say is the biggest payout awarded by a U.S. jurors.
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The trial, which was held in an Albuquerque, N.M. courtroom earlier this month, centred on allegations filed by the man’s attorneys in 2020, accusing NuMale Medical Center and company officials of misdiagnosing the patient and treating him with unnecessary and “invasive erectile dysfunction shots” that caused permanent damage, the Associated Press reported.
The man’s lawyers said the incident stems back to 2017 when, at age 66, he visited the clinic looking for help for fatigue and weight loss. A lawsuit was filed in 2020.
“It’s a national record-setting case and it’s righteous because I don’t think there’s any place for licensed professionals to be defrauding patients for money,” attorney Lori Bencoe said, according to the AP.
“That is a very egregious breach of their fiduciary duty,” Bencoe continued. “That’s breach of trust and anytime someone is wearing a white coat, they shouldn’t be allowed to do that.”
Aside from New Mexico, NuMale Medical Center also has clinics in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Nick Rowley, a second trial lawyer on the plaintiff’s team, said the out-of-state medical corporation set up a “fraudulent scheme to make millions off of conning old men.”
He detailed on social media that clinic workers told patients they would have irreversible damage if they didn’t agree to injections three times a week.
NuMale Medical Center, which hails itself as America’s No. 1 men’s wellness clinic, told KRQE that they “disagree with the verdict and intend to pursue all available legal remedies, including appeal.”
NuMale’s President Brad Palubicki told the AP in a statement on Wednesday that the company is focused on providing responsible care and adhering to strict safety standards at all clinics.
“While we respect the judicial process, due to ongoing legal proceedings, we cannot comment on specific details of the case at this time.”
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Jurors found that fraudulent and negligent conduct by the defendants resulted in damages to the plaintiff, according to court records.
They also found that the unconscionable conduct by the defendants violated the Unfair Practices Act.
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