LOCAL LAW FIRM WINS $1 MILLION MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE

METUCHEN, NJ – Vlasac & Shmaruk, LLC, a Metuchen based law firm, recently achieved a $1 million verdict in Hudson County Superior Court in a failure to diagnose breast cancer case.
A Hudson County jury of five men and three women rendered a verdict in favor of the plaintiff for a gross amount of $1 million dollars in a medical malpractice action on December 16, 2010.

John M. Vlasac, Jr., a partner with Vlasac & Shmaruk, represented the plaintiff, a 55 yr old woman, Marina Troshina. Troshina underwent a radical left mastectomy, axillary dissection and chemotherapy before being diagnosed as cancer free in 2008.

At trial, Troshina, alleged that her treating OBGYN, Karina Zhuravelva, M.D., failed to refer her for additional testing after, or follow-up on, an abnormal mammogram performed in February, 2006 which ultimately led to a 482 day delay in treatment of breast cancer.

The jury agreed that the Dr. Zhuravelva, the defendant, violated accepted standards of care in her field of practice and that the deviation increased the harm of Troshina being exposed to as a result of having cancer anyway and that the increased harm was a substantial factor which lead to plaintiff’s injuries. The $1 million gross award was ultimately molded by the court to reflect the full verdict.

“Making sure physicians and healthcare providers are held accountable for their mistakes ensures higher standards and higher quality of health care for all patients. And in this case, once again, that is exactly what we did”, said Vlasac.

Vlasac & Shmaruk is a full service personal injury law firm serving New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, providing representation in the areas of medical malpractice, product liability ,automobile accidents, construction accidents, slip and falls, workers compensation and general negligence cases. Vlasac & Shmaruk has offices in Metuchen, Hamilton, Fair Lawn, New Jersey as well as Feasterville, PA.