Tom Dukes and Mary Jaye Hall obtained a defense verdict in Orange County on behalf of a hospitalist after a lengthy 7-day trial.

On November 5, 2025, Tom Dukes and Mary Jaye Hall obtained a defense verdict in Orange County on behalf of a hospitalist after a lengthy 7-day trial. The lawsuit surrounded the patient being given a medication she had a documented allergy of, which was ordered by our doctor. However, at the time the order was placed, our doctor was outside of the hospital. He received a call from the nurse caring for the patient, who reported to our doctor that the patient had no known allergies. Thus, our doctor verbally ordered the medication, and the nurse placed the order, the pharmacist filled the order, and then the nurse administered the medication. This resulted in the patient having an allergic reaction. Plaintiff’s claim was that our doctor should have remained in the hospital the entire day and that giving a verbal order over the phone and relying on the nursing staff was improper. The jury disagreed, and found our doctor’s care to be reasonable, and returned a complete defense in less than two hours.