Woman awarded $2M after dentist mistakenly pulls 13 teeth
Aug 21 2009
A South Carolina woman has won a $2 million jury verdict against a dental clinic that mistakenly pulled 13 teeth. The State reported that 28-year-old Elizabeth Smith wanted three teeth pulled when she went to the Sexton Dental Clinic in Florence in 2006. Her lawsuit said a dentist at the clinic instead pulled all 16 of her upper teeth.
Smith's attorney told the jury Smith, pictured above, had planned to become a model but had suffered such severe emotional distress that she had lost most of her hair, suffered insomnia and had aged prematurely. One female juror became so upset on seeing phtographs of Smith before the extractions and comparing them with the woman testifying from the witness chair that she fainted and had to be carried from the courtroom on a stretcher. She returned after a recess and joined the other jurors in their deliberations.
State court records in Florence indicate the jury returned the award late last week.
One of Smith's lawyers, Robert Ransom, said the woman plans to have restorative surgery as soon as possible. That's estimated to cost about $80,000. She also will undergo plastic surgery and hair transplants in an effort make her appear younger again.
Clinic attorney Saunders Bridges said he is considering an appeal, claiming the jurors became inflamed with passion and that the excessive mount of the award shocked the conscience of the court and the community.
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