Maine Jury Awards Emily Mitchell $17 Million After Bladder Removed in 2023 Surgery
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 27
Maine Jury Awards Emily Mitchell $17 Million After Bladder Removed in 2023 Surgery
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 27
Summary
$17 million was awarded to Emily Mitchell by a Kennebec County jury after it found Northern Light Inland Hospital and Northern Light Health liable for a surgical error during treatment for a benign ovarian cyst.
Trial evidence showed surgeons removed Mitchell's bladder on March 1, 2023; she was transferred for emergency surgery, and pathology later confirmed the tissue taken was full-thickness bladder tissue.
Eight months of nephrostomy tubes followed because too little healthy tissue remained to repair the organ, bringing recurring urinary and kidney infections, repeated procedures and other complications.
Massachusetts surgeons later built a Neobladder from part of her small intestine, but Mitchell still needs to catheterize herself several times a day and requires ongoing specialist care.
The verdict, described by her lawyers as the largest medical malpractice award in Kennebec County, comes after Northern Light Inland Hospital closed in May 2025.