Missouri Supreme Court affirms judgment in wrongful death suit

The Supreme Court of Missouri affirmed the Scott County Circuit Court's judgment in a wrongful death suit Tuesday.

John Henry Rhoden and Dorothy Jean Winfield were awarded $869,780.80 in damages Nov. 5, 2018, to be paid by Missouri Delta Medical Center for the wrongful death of their father, Roosevelt Rhoden. MDMC attempted to appeal the judgment, however the Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court's decision.

According to court documents, following prostate surgery in October 2012, Roosevelt Rhoden experienced renal failure and difficulty breathing. After an exploratory laparotomy was performed, examining his entire gastrointestinal tract, it was determined a ruptured diverticulum had resulted in free air in Roosevelt Rhoden's abdomen.

Roosevelt Rhoden developed sepsis following the laparotomy, as well as kidney and respiratory complications. He improved after being transferred to another hospital, but subsequently suffered a stroke and was placed in a skilled nursing facility where he died in October 2013.