A jury in Montgomery County, Maryland, found in favor of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit concerning the 2007 death of Richard Semsker, age 47. The defendants named in the suit were Dr. Norman A Lockshin and his medical practice. The suit was filed because Lockshin failed to properly diagnose a mole on Semsker’s back that later proved to be cancerous.

Semsker initially saw the doctor in September 2004, at which point, according to the lawsuit, Lockshin should have examined the mole more closely. Instead Semsker’s cancer was not diagnosed until 2006, when his wife noticed the mole had changed color and urged him to see the doctor again. In the two intervening years, the cancer had spread to several lymph nodes around Semsker’s body. By the time of his death it had also spread to his brain.

Semsker’s wife and two children were initially awarded $5.8 million, although their lawyer reports that the amount will be lowered to $3.6 million in deference to Maryland’s cap on non-medical expenses.

If you need information about medical malpractice and wrongful death suits, contact the Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorneys Lowenthal & Abrams at 800-876-LAWYER.