Lawsuits: LI brain surgeon botched operations on 3 women
According to three lawsuits, Dr. Paolo Bolognese, director of the Chiari Malformations Center at Neurological Surgery, botched surgeries to fix Chiara malformation, a rare, usually congenital brain defect. Credit: Neurological Surgery / Tony Lopez
Three women have filed separate malpractice lawsuits against a Roslyn brain surgeon, saying he botched their surgeries.
The lawsuits say the patients ended up worse after procedures performed by Dr. Paolo Bolognese to fix Chiari malformation, a rare, usually congenital brain defect.
“All of their lives have irreparably been harmed by Dr. Bolognese and I think it’s fair to say none of these women will ever be the same,” said Jordan K. Merson, the Manhattan-based attorney for the women.
Bolognese currently practices at Neurological Surgery in Rockville Centre. He is a co-founder of North Shore University’s Chiari Institute.
Bolognese did not respond to requests for comment Sunday. His attorney on other malpractice lawsuits, Rosaleen McCrory of Manhattan-based Martin Clearwater & Bell, was reached Monday but did not respond to requests for comments.
The plaintiffs are Crystal Hensley Hall of Ellijay, Georgia; Jennifer Lake of Rio Rancho, New Mexico; and Lori White of Sterling, Virginia. The cases, first reported by the Daily News, were filed in Queens County Supreme Court.
Lake’s lawsuit said Bolognese improperly placed hardware during her surgery, causing her to suffer serious and severe injuries. White’s lawsuit said the procedure improperly placed a plate and dissected neck muscles, among other errors. Hall’s lawsuit says he had improperly performed the surgery, didn’t close or seal the wound properly and failed to heed her complaints about pain afterward.
The lawsuits also name North Shore-Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Terry Lynam, spokesman for the hospital, said he hasn’t been served yet and he couldn’t speak to specifics. As of this summer, Bolognese is no longer affiliated with the hospital and hasn’t been an employee there for years, he said.
Bolognese has been named in five other lawsuits since 2015, according to online court records.
In April 2009, North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset temporarily suspended Bolognese and the other founder of the institute, Dr. Thomas Milhorat, for not operating on an anesthetized patient awaiting brain surgery. The state filed 14 violations against North Shore University Hospital.
With William Murphy
David Schwartz covers environmental issues. A native Long Islander, he's worked at Newsday since 2013.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
