Berkowitz and Hanna LLC was interested to learn that the widow of Marvin Hamlisch has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit. Terre Blair filed a complaint in New York State Supreme court, claiming that a misdiagnosis resulted in the death of the Oscar Winning composer.
Marvin Hamlisch wrote songs for Liza Minelli and won a Tony Award for his score for the Broadway musical A Chorus Line. He had a liver transplant in 2010, and died in 2012 after flying to California. Mr. Hamlisch’s widow accuses his physician, Dr. David Cohen, of medical malpractice, alleging that he misdiagnosed the problem and allowed his patient to travel with symptoms of breathlessness, weakness, anxiety, chills, nausea, exhaustion and low blood pressure. Hamlisch flew from New York to Los Angeles and, upon his arrival, collapsed and slipped into a coma. He died five days later.
Dr. Cohen “repeatedly insisted that Mr. Hamlisch’s symptoms resulted from back pain and anxiety. Dr. Cohen made this diagnosis even though he did not conduct a physical examination of Mr. Hamlisch,” the complaint states.
Doctor mistakes can be catastrophic, and doctors owe their patients a duty to perform their jobs with a high standard of care. Berkowitz and Hanna LLC will continue to follow this high-profile medical malpractice case as it progresses through the New York courts.
Berkowitz and Hanna LLC did not represent any of the parties in this case.
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