Virginia Man Wins $500,000 Lawsuit Against Doctors For Offensive Remarks He Unwittingly Recorded While Undergoing Colonoscopy

A Virginia man, whom court records identified as “D.B.,” won a $500,000 lawsuit against an anaesthesiologist after he found out through an unintended recording that the doctor and her staff in Reston, Virginia, mocked and intentionally misdiagnosed him while he was undergoing colonoscopy in April 2013. The patient recorded the procedure, particularly the post-operative care required after a delicate surgery, but he forgot to hit the “stop” button on his smartphone while going through surgery.

While D.B. was going home after the procedure, he heard the conversation among Dr Tiffany Ingham, the anaesthesiologist, and the rest of the medical staff. First, he heard Ingham said that she wanted to punch him in the face.

Then she warned an aide about touching the patient’s rash lest she be infected by “syphilis” on her arm. Ingham also jokingly referred to D.B.’s rash as penis Ebola and tuberculosis in his genital, reports the New York Daily News.

While one assistant described D.B. as a retard, the rest of the staff wondered about his sexual preference, specifically if the patient is gay. Ingham even noted that many gays appear to be more masculine than D.B. even as she ordered her assistants to write on the patient’s chart that he had hemorrhoids, although he didn’t. The rest of the medical staff mocked patients in general who overly rely on the Internet for medical advice.

She also ordered her staff to lie to the patient about his condition and avoid him after the colonoscopy. D.B. filed a malpractice lawsuit and defamation. For Ingham’s comment that he had tuberculosis on his genital, the Fairfox County court awarded the patient $50,000. For her syphilis remarks, the patient got $50,000 in damage.

The Washington Post reports that according to an Aisthesis employee, Ingham, 42, is no longer connected with the clinic. While state records said that she has moved to Florida, an anaesthesiology practice in Tavares said she is also no longer connected with the clinic.

Dr Solomon Shah, the gastroenterologist who did the colonoscopy, was excluded from the lawsuit even if court records showed he also made some insulting remarks. The 48-year-old surgeon also did not dissuade Ingham from her actions or disparaging comments.

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