ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Jurors in New Mexico have awarded a man more than $420,000 in a medical malpractice lawsuit involving a men’s health clinic that operates in several states.
The man’s lawyers celebrated Monday’s verdict, saying they hope it will prevent other men from being caught in a scheme involving fraud and what they say are dangerous injections. He said the punitive damages and punitive damages totaled the largest amount ever awarded by a jury in a US medical case.
“It is a case that has been made in the country and it is true because I do not think that there are people who have licenses who can cheat patients of money. This is a serious breach of their fiduciary duty,” said Lori Bencoe, one of the attorneys who represented the plaintiff. “This is a breach of trust and anyone wearing a white coat, should not be allowed to do that.”
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The award follows a trial held in Albuquerque earlier this month regarding allegations outlined in a lawsuit filed by the man’s attorneys in 2020. NuMale Medical Center and company officials were named as defendants.
According to the complaint, the man was 66 years old when he visited the clinic in 2017 seeking treatment for fatigue and weight loss. The clinic is accused of misdiagnosing him and improperly treating him with “invasive erectile dysfunction shots” that caused irreversible damage.
Nick Rowley, another lawyer who was on the plaintiff’s team, said the foreign medical association had created a “fraudulent scheme to make millions out of older men.” He gave more information in a social media post, saying that clinic staff told patients that they would be permanently injured if they did not accept injections three times a week.
The president of NuMale Medical Center, Brad Palubicki, said in a statement sent Wednesday to The Associated Press that the company’s goal is to continue providing patient care while maintaining strict safety and compliance standards in all of its facilities.
“Although we respect the judicial process, due to what is happening in the courts, we cannot comment on any of the issues at this time,” he said.
NuMale also has clinics in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Nebraska, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
According to the court documents, the jurors found that the fraud and reckless behavior of the defendants caused damage to the plaintiff. They also found that the misconduct of the accused violates the Unfair Practices Act.