Berman & Simmons attorneys Travis Brennan and Chuck Hehmeyer have received a record-setting $23.1 Million verdict from an Aroostook County jury on June 18, 2026. The successful verdict is the largest non-death medical malpractice verdict in the State of Maine's history, and the largest medical malpractice verdict of any kind outside of Portland. The verdict came after a contentious two-week trial in Caribou, where Attorneys Brennan and Hehmeyer presented evidence and witnesses in support of their client's case.
The case involved a 40-year-old Madawaska man who sought treatment at Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital in 2020 after he fell and hit his back. A type of radiology imaging known as a "CT scan" was ordered in the emergency room, but the radiologist who evaluated the images failed to note the large bony calcification invading the spinal canal. As a result, the man was discharged home without knowing he had bony calcification in his spine that was a ticking time bomb for paralysis. When he followed up with his primary care provider at Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital after developing new and concerning neurological symptoms, his PCP assumed he was making up symptoms to try to get pain drugs, and did not send him to the emergency room. A third missed opportunity to prevent tragedy came when the man had a follow-up appointment with an orthopedic specialist at Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital, but even though this provider recognized the concerning neurological symptoms as signs of a spinal cord issue, she made no plan for emergency workup.
The culmination of these three medical errors was permanent paralysis for the 40 year old man; for the rest of his life, he will be unable to stand, walk, or feel his legs, with no bladder or bowel function.
The jury deliberated for three hours before reaching its verdict. "Today, the jury’s verdict provided validation for our client that this tragic situation never should have happened,” attorney Travis Brennan told the Bangor Daily News, which covered the record-setting medical malpractice verdict: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/06/18/aroostook/aroostook-police-courts/jury-awards-23m-to-paralyzed-madawaska-man-northern-light-health/