$84 Million Malpractice Verdict Awarded

October 8, 2026

On September 29, a Hennepin County jury issued an $84 million malpractice verdict against Fairview Health Services, in a case involving a patient who died of complications following an exercise-induced heart attack.  

It is one of the largest malpractice awards in the state’s history. The large award is, in part, a recognition of the patient’s lost future earning potential. 

The plaintiffs argued that the 53-year-old's death could have been prevented if his physician assistant had done a more thorough examination and follow-up of his chest pain in October 2022, and then again three months later in a virtual appointment. The man died in late January 2023. 

This is a somewhat unique medical malpractice case in that there was not a disagreement among the parties about the proper standard of care. Instead, the parties disagreed about whether the facts supported that the standard of care was met. Fairview argued that they had done a thorough examination as required, whereas the plaintiff argued that a thorough examination had not been conducted. 

In a statement released to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Fairview said it couldn't comment on the verdict but expressed sympathy to the patient's family. 

The judge in the case could issue a remittitur (a process used to reduce a verdict that a judge deems unjustified by the evidence), as was done in the recent $110 million verdict against St. Cloud Orthopedic Associates. However, the plaintiff must agree to the remittitur. Fairview also has the option to appeal.   

This past May, the MMA’s Advocacy and Policy Committee approved the creation of a task force to review and recommend edits to MMA’s current policies on medical liability.