March 31 – Former New Zealand international goalkeeper, Jake Gleeson, has been awarded over $20 million by a jury in his medical malpractice lawsuit against the Portland Timbers team doctor, Dr. Richard H. Edelson.
Gleeson, 34, who had been capped eight times by his national team, and made 59 appearances for the Timbers over a seven-year spell, underwent surgery in 2018 to treat stress fractures in both of his legs. After surgery, both legs became infected allegedly because the plates inserted into his legs were not correctly sterilized.
Subsequently, Gleeson, was operated on a further 14 times, and forced to retire. He is now unable to walk without pain.
“It’s been a very hard six-and-a-half years, some weeks are better than others, some days are better than others,” Gleeson said over a Zoom call after the verdict. “But it’s been very difficult.”
He added: “I think now moving forward from this case, I just want to be an advocate that when you’re put under anesthesia from a doctor, you expect them to follow these guidelines and these policies. It doesn’t matter if you’re an MLS player, it doesn’t matter if you’re an NFL player, it doesn’t matter if you work a desk job. When you sign that consent form, you’re signing that they’re going to do everything in their power to keep you safe. This doctor did not do that.”
The verdict, delivered in Oregon Circuit Court for Multnomah County, ends a four-and-a-half-year legal process for Gleeson, who also settled with another doctor, Dr. Jonathan Greenleaf, where the surgery was performed.
The defense maintained that the sterilisation technique used, called Immediate-Use Steam Sterilization (IUSS), was sufficient, that infection is a common risk of surgery, and that Gleeson’s complications were no fault of Edelson’s.
“This has been something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, not that I have too many of those,” said Gleeson.
“It’s been a lot of physical pain. It’s been a lot of emotional pain, and those have come in different stages. You have surgeries, you feel better, then you have other surgeries. I would say that this has been something that’s quite consumed my life for the last six and a half years since that initial surgery. I left the training field one day, not knowing that that would be the last time I would ever be a professional soccer player.”
The jury’s award for $20 million includes for past and future medical experiences, “future impaired earning capacity” and more.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1743511786labto1743511786ofdlr1743511786owedi1743511786sni@o1743511786fni1743511786