Travis Corby of SBE Obtains a $8.88 Million Binding Arbitration Award Against Sovereign Health of California

LOS ANGELES, April 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Travis Corby of Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP obtained a $8.88 million binding arbitration award in Los Angeles today in a case accusing a drug rehabilitation facility of negligently failing to timely pickup emergency medication for Plaintiff, Zachary Peterson, causing him to suffer a seizure and fall, resulting in a significant brain injury.

Mr. Corby and his co-counsel Karen Gold argued that the rehab center (Sovereign Health of California) acted negligently by failing to follow its own procedures for obtaining medications and failing to advise its staff physician of pertinent medical information.

"When someone checks into a rehab center, they are making public that they have a serious addiction problem they cannot manage on their own," said attorney Travis Corby. "For a rehab center to behave in such a negligent, uncaring manner is shameful and the injuries Zach will have to live with for the rest of his life are the result of a total failure by the center and its staff."

Background
In 2014, Zachary checked into the Sovereign Health rehab center in San Juan Capistrano hoping to receive effective treatment for his drug addiction, which he had suffered from for many years. Within a month he suffered a foot injury while playing basketball and was prescribed 60 Tramadol pills for the pain by a doctor who never actually saw Zachary. Zachary was then allowed to pick up his own prescription due to the negligence of the staff. Zachary took 30 Tramadol pills on the night of November 9 and then another 30 pills the next morning. At 8:30 AM on November 10, 2014 Zachary had a seizure and fell to the ground, vomiting and bleeding. Due to the seizure and fall, he suffered a brain injury and a skull fracture that required surgery and extensive rehabilitation.

Hon. Joe Hilberman of ADR Services arbitrated the case and in his final decision he stated "this is perhaps one of the most difficult cases" that he had heard.

The case is Zachary Peterson v. Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center, Sovereign Health of California, ADRS Case No. 16-7891-JWH.

About Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP
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SOURCE Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP