Case Background
Lisa Lawruszko lived in Milford, Connecticut, when she sought medical treatment for a benign liver growth called a hemangioma located in the left lobe of her liver. Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation and Yale New Haven Hospital, Inc. operated Yale New Haven Hospital. The hospital administration heavily promoted its specialized programs, particularly its advanced liver care. Advertisements regularly asserted that patients benefited directly from highly ranked medical specialists, innovative clinical techniques, and deep surgical expertise. Relying on these assurances, Lawruszko chose the facility to handle her treatment.
Cause
Lawruszko checked into Yale New Haven Hospital on October 27, 2020, to undergo a scheduled, elective laparoscopic left hepatectomy. The elective procedure aimed to remove the non-cancerous mass from her liver lobe. Chief surgeon Dr. Kevin Billingsley, a board-certified general surgeon specializing in hepato-biliary operations, performed the surgery alongside a supervised surgical resident, Dr. Jonathan Merola.
The operation quickly broke down. While dividing the liver tissue, the medical team created a bile leak in the caudate lobe that they could not manage or seal with standard surgical clips. Severe internal bleeding started immediately after the leak occurred. The escalating emergency forced Dr. Billingsley and Dr. Merola to abandon the minimally invasive laparoscopic approach and convert the surgery into an open abdominal procedure.
As the surgical team pulled the left liver lobe specimen out of the body cavity, Lawruszko suffered a sudden drop in blood pressure and became completely hemodynamically unstable. The surgeons discovered that approximately two liters of blood had filled the upper abdomen, originating directly from a torn splenic capsule and its surrounding vessel branches. To stabilize her, the team packed the abdominal cavity to apply pressure, but they ultimately had to perform a secondary, unplanned open splenectomy to remove her damaged spleen entirely. The surgeons noted in their official operative logs that they suspected a forceful traction injury caused the capsule tear during the removal of the liver specimen.
Injury
Lawruszko woke up from the operation having lost her spleen. The post-operative pathology report detailed that her spleen measured 9.2 by 8 by 3.3 centimeters, exhibiting six distinct areas of internal bleeding under the surface capsule and two extensive areas where the protective outer capsule layer had been entirely stripped and disrupted.
The extensive surgery caused immediate, severe complications. Lawruszko experienced respiratory distress and persistent drops in her oxygen levels, which required intensive breathing treatments, five liters of oxygen through a nasal cannula, and specialized positive-pressure breathing machines in a specialized hospital stepdown unit. She had an abnormally high white blood cell count due to a dangerous surgical site infection caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
A substantial amount of bile continuously leaked out of her abdomen, which required the permanent maintenance of an external Blake drain. Follow-up diagnostic imaging revealed a massive collection of infected fluid, known as a biloma, or an active abscess. To combat these issues, she underwent an invasive endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography procedure on November 6, 2020, which confirmed an internal bile duct leak and required the immediate insertion of a temporary metal biliary stent. She later endured multiple repeat endoscopic procedures to clean out the ongoing leak, control the bleeding, and clear the infection.
The large incision line failed to heal properly, causing Lawruszko to develop multiple painful abdominal hernias. On November 30, 2021, she underwent a major corrective operation consisting of a robotic gastric sleeve and a laparoscopic hernia repair to fix her damaged abdominal wall. She experienced permanent scarring, chronic abdominal pain, severe emotional trauma, and a permanent reduction in her overall quality of life.
Damages Sought
Lawruszko filed a civil lawsuit requesting financial compensation for her losses. Her legal team demanded compensatory economic damages to pay for her past, current, and future medical expenses, as well as compensation for her lost wages and diminished future earning capacity. She also sought noneconomic damages to cover her physical pain, emotional suffering, permanent physical impairment, and her inability to enjoy standard daily activities. The initial legal filings stated that the amount in demand exceeded the statutory minimum of fifteen thousand dollars, exclusive of interest and legal costs.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
Legal Representation
Plaintiff: Lisa Lawruszko
Counsel for Plaintiff: Jeremy C. Virgil
Experts for Plaintiff: Angel E. Alsina
Defendants: Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation | Yale New Haven Hospital, Inc | Kevin Billingsley, MD
Counsel for Defendants: Eric J. Stockman
Experts for Defendants: Sandro Cinti | William Scott Helton
Key Arguments or Remarks by Counsel
Claims
Attorney Jeremy C. Virgil argued that the surgical team completely breached the medical standard of care during the routine liver operation. He asserted that the surgeons applied excessive, dangerous force when they pulled on the liver specimen, which directly caused the catastrophic traction injury that tore the spleen. The Plaintiff also claimed that the surgeons failed to properly map out and isolate the splenic attachments before cutting, failed to identify the bile leak immediately, and mismanaged the subsequent internal bleeding.
Furthermore, the Plaintiff brought distinct counts regarding a lack of informed consent. Virgil argued that the hospital and Dr. Billingsley never told Lawruszko that she could lose her spleen, suffer a persistent bile leak requiring stents, need multiple blood transfusions, or develop severe hernias that would require a robotic gastric sleeve operation. Instead of explaining these specific risks, the medical providers allegedly reassured her that the chief surgeon would handle the laparoscopic procedure, ensuring a fast recovery without any complications. The Plaintiff asserted that because the surgery was entirely elective for a benign condition, a reasonable person would have refused the operation if properly warned.
Defense
Attorney Eric J. Stockman filed an answer that denied all core allegations of medical negligence, carelessness, and lack of informed consent. While the Defendants explicitly admitted the baseline timeline of events such as the exact operation times, the conversion from a laparoscopic approach to an open incision, and the execution of the splenectomy they denied that these outcomes resulted from any professional mistakes or poor technique. The defense took the position that the surgical complications were known, inherent risks of a highly complex liver operation, rather than proof of medical malpractice. They formally asked the Court to reject the Plaintiff's demands and rule in favor of the medical providers.
Jury Verdict
The civil trial concluded in the Superior Court for the Judicial District of Ansonia/Milford, held at the Derby location. On February 26, 2026, the regular citizens serving on the jury reached a unanimous decision and filled out the official verdict form.
The jury found entirely in favor of the Defendants, Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation and Yale New Haven Hospital, Inc., against the Plaintiff, Lisa Lawruszko. The jury foreperson signed the document in ink, officially concluding that the medical institutions and their staff were not legally liable for the surgical complications or the subsequent medical injuries. Consequently, the Court awarded no financial damages to the Plaintiff.
