Murugesapillai v. Antelope Valley Emergency Medical Association

Public Justice is co-counsel for Prathees Murugesapillai, a Sri Lankan native who suffered severe brain damage as a result of grossly inadequate medical care for meningitis while in immigration detention and at the hospital where he was provided treatment. Murugesapillai now has permanent cognitive deficits that have had a catastrophic impact on his daily living. He is unemployable and cannot care for himself without supervision or attendant care. The federal lawsuit asserted civil rights and medical negligence claims against the United States and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, as well as medical negligence claims against Antelope Valley Hospital, a physician who treated Murugesapillai, and the physician’s employer. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted summary judgment for the United States and the Sheriff’s Department. The plaintiff filed an appeal in the Ninth Circuit and then transferred the claims against the remaining defendants to Superior Court in Los Angeles County. Public Justice took the lead on the Ninth Circuit appeal, while cooperating counsel got the state court action ready for trial. The parties reached a global settlement totaling $2.19 million for the plaintiff, which was approved by the Los Angeles Superior Court on January 2, 2013. Lead counsel was Conal Doyle of Los Angeles. Co-counsel were Tom Dempsey of Beverly Hills and Public Justice Managing Attorney Adele Kimmel.