Tom Lang and Hannah Wiens secured a defense verdict on behalf of a family medicine/hospitalist physician, following a four week long trial in Cook County in November 2023. Plaintiff claimed a failure to diagnose and treat infection and septic shock (caused by Group A Streptococcus) in a 19 year old woman, resulting in her death. The patient presented to the emergency department of a local hospital 5 days after giving birth via C-section with complaints of abdominal pain. Imaging demonstrated fluid in the abdomen. The defendant hospitalist physician was contacted by the ER team and endorsed the patient’s admission to the ICU floor, with the plan that she would undergo exploratory surgery first before transfer to the floor. Plaintiff claimed a failure to diagnose and treat the infection with antibiotics and a failure to advocate for surgery. The defense argued that the hospitalist physician was consistently told that the plan was for surgery with a surgeon on consult and was never advised of any change or delay in that plan. The patient was survived by her infant daughter. The plaintiff asked the jury to award approximately $12.5 million in damages in closing arguments. The jury returned a verdict in favor of all defendants.