A Sandoval County jury has ruled $22.7 million on a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran who underwent 17 surgeries or procedures after a failed prostate surgery at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center in 2019.

Armando Graham, 69, visited the Mayo Clinic for a second operation but now has to rely on a mechanical sphincter and colostomy bag after the first operation tore his rectum, Albuquerque said. attorney Lisa Curtis said.

After more than eight hours of deliberation, a jury on Thursday found Presbyterian Medical Services, Dr. Christopher Gist and Dr. Kevin Hudenko, at fault, concluding that the defendants caused Graham’s injuries.

Of this, the jury assessed $15 million in punitive damages to Presbyterian Medical Services and $107,000 in punitive damages to Gist, a urologist who immigrated to Arizona.

A Presbyterian spokesperson told the Journal on Friday: We are considering our next steps in this matter and additional legal proceedings are expected. “

The Presbyterians denied the allegations of negligence, arguing that standard care was not violated.

But Curtis said the ruling was a sign that “communities want Presbyterians to improve.” They can afford to hire quality doctors for their patients. “

Graham was discharged from the hospital with a laceration to his rectum without anyone noticing it after his first surgery.

After two visits to the Rust emergency department complaining of pain, bleeding and sepsis after surgery, Graham was discovered to have made a mistake and needed to be dispatched by a specially trained colorectal surgeon. It didn’t happen for another four months, the lawsuit alleges.

Instead, the lawsuit alleges Gist called in general surgeon Hudenko to fix it. But a second surgery failed, and after consulting with doctors at the University of New Mexico, Graham visited the Mayo Clinic.

“My client should have had radiation for prostate cancer,” Curtis said.

Gist “did an unbelievably terrible job” in the robot-assisted surgery that punctured Graham’s rectum, she said, but Presbyterian lawyers insisted the operation did not fall short of standard care. bottom.

The lawsuit also alleges that he should have seen a colorectal surgeon immediately after the laceration was discovered.

The jury found the actions of Gist and the Presbyterian Health Service “reckless or unjustified.”

Jury papers show that the jury answered “no” when asked whether Hudenko’s actions were “reckless or reckless.”

In a deposition for the lawsuit, Gist said he moved to Tucson, Arizona, after the Presbyterian Church terminated his contract.

“The reason I was given was because I was arrogant,” he said. “I think confidence is often misunderstood as arrogance.”

Another reason was “because I was making too much money,” he said during the deposition. Gist said his salary is based on productivity.

Gist and Hudenko were not immediately available for comment Friday afternoon.