Shellie’s Medical Malpractice Nightmare

and her

Fight for Freedom of Speech

Shellie’s Story

Medical Problems: At the age of 13 I had developed large breasts. I was experiencing problems with breast lumps, requiring biopsies frequently. At the age of 22, after years of breast lumps and biopsies, I was told by my surgeon, Dr. Edward Zucker of Merrillville, Indiana, that I should have subcutaneous mastectomies…more

Surgery Day: I was taken to the hospital on the day of surgery by my good friend, who also was an orthopedic surgery resident…more

Recovering: Over the next 48 hours my pain continued to worsen. I had developed a fever and had pure blood diarrhea. I was so ill that I was blacking out even while lying down. I phoned Dr. Kagan’s office and was told to go to the nearest emergency room…more

A New Doctor: I needed to find a new doctor and did not know which of the Chicago plastic surgeons to trust. My orthopedic resident friend talked to a Chicago plastic surgeon at the hospital he worked at about my problems…more

Another Medical Problem: The entire time my wounds were not healing, they were bright red, stinging, burning, tender, and very painful. After Dr. Coleman operated on me placing the implants in the proper position and filling them adequately, I was relieved of the numbness…more

Lawyers: Attorney Jay Paul Deratany, from Chicago, Illinois represented me in my breast implant medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Robert S. Kagan. Dr. Kagan was represented by attorney Michael Tarpey from Chicago, Illinois…more

Trial: None of my treating doctors were very cooperative in speaking with my attorney. They all charged from $350.00 an hour up to $1,000.00 an hour to speak to my attorney and to give testimony…more

Closing Arguments: My attorney Jay Paul Deratany summed up the case for the jury by saying that we were before the court because Dr. Kagan performed a surgery on me that the records show I did not consent to…more

Verdict: Approximately an hour later the jury reached a verdict. The verdict was read and in favor of Dr. Kagan. I was stunned. I couldn’t help but wonder if the jury was even listening to the lengthy medical testimony or were they just too uneducated to understand it…more

Final Thoughts: I could have lived with the verdict had I gotten a fair trial, but I believe I did not get a fair trial…more