In March 2017, Maria Ocasio, a 57-year-old grandmother underwent an elective outpatient endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedure at MidState Medical Center in Meriden, Connecticut. During the procedure, which required anesthesia, Ocasio experienced a fatal cardiorespiratory collapse.
Her family later filed a medical malpractice lawsuit, alleging that the anesthesia team failed to respond appropriately to the emergency. In July 2024, a jury in New Haven awarded the family $15.4 million in damages.
Ocasio’s anesthesia care was provided by Meriden-Wallingford Anesthesia Group, which included anesthesiologist Dr. Guy J. Aliotta and certified registered nurse anesthetist Richard Ruey. According to the lawsuit, Ocasio suffered from hypoxia and sedation-induced respiratory depression, leading to cardiopulmonary arrest. This caused a series of severe medical issues, including catastrophic anoxic brain injury, seizures, kidney injury, and a collapsed lung. Ocasio remained on life support for several weeks in the intensive care unit before passing away on April 17, 2017.
In September 2017, Ocasio’s family filed a lawsuit accusing the anesthesia team of failing to monitor and address her hypoxia in a timely manner. The lawsuit also claimed that excessive anesthesia was administered and that Dr. Aliotta did not adequately supervise the team during the procedure.
In July 2024, the jury found that the Meriden-Wallingford Anesthesia Group and Dr. Aliotta, who had passed away in 2021, were responsible for Ocasio’s death. The jury awarded $9.4 million for wrongful death, $5.4 million for pain and suffering, and an additional $1 million for loss of enjoyment of life’s activities.
Attorneys Kathleen Nastri and Erik Siegel of Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder represented the Ocasio family. Following the verdict, Nastri stated, “Maria Ocasio should have walked out of that outpatient procedure and spent many more years with her family… Instead, she was connected to machines in her final days.”
Medical malpractice cases involving a deceased physician can be complex, with the lawsuit often proceeding against the estate. Depending on the details of the physician’s malpractice insurance, the payout can come from either the estate or the insurance policy if the coverage was still active or applicable after the physician’s death.
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