Couple gets $15,500 in medical malpractice trial
Lawsuit was filed by Lewiston residents against Dr. Geneen Bigsby and Catalyst Medical Group
ASOTIN — A Lewiston couple was awarded $15,500 in a medical malpractice lawsuit filed against Dr. Geneen Bigsby and Catalyst Medical Group.
Plaintiffs Renee and Jeremy Wassell were represented by attorneys Regina M. McCrea and Jeffrey R. Owen. The defendants were represented by attorneys Joel Patrick Hazel, Marckus William Louvier and Erica Morbeck Roberts.
A 12-person jury heard testimony at a trial conducted in Asotin County Superior Court late last month with Judge George G. Fearing presiding. After about six hours of deliberations, the panel unanimously ruled in favor of awarding the Wassells $15,500 for “non-economic damages” in the case.
According to court documents, the Wassells filed the complaint in 2019 alleging negligence by the physician, who reportedly told Renee Wassell her right ovary was “surgically absent” after a laparoscopy in 2017.
Wassell had previously had her left ovary removed and was reportedly told by Bigsby, who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology, that both ovaries had been removed.
In the months that followed, Renee Wassell went to the emergency room twice with severe abdominal pain, according to court records. Subsequent testing revealed a pelvic mass, including a right ovary. She underwent another surgery, and the remaining ovary was removed.
Over the years, Renee Wassell was informed her endometritis would be alleviated by the removal of her ovaries, which she believed had been completed. The physical pain and suffering caused by the misinformation and remaining ovary prompted the lawsuit, according to court records.
The defense argued nothing wrong was done, and Bigsby explained in a deposition why the ovary may have been missed during the laparoscopy. The standard level of care was met in this case, the defense said.
