Judge Renders Defense Verdict in Favor of Jon Schwalbach and Jim Kjar

Plaintiff underwent a thymectomy procedure for Myasthenia Gravis. Following the surgery he developed a bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve injury which left him without a functioning voice. Plaintiff’s expert, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Rutgers University testified that the surgeon went too far laterally in his dissection and injured the nerves. The defense contended that the tumor was very large and that a more extensive resection was necessary to give plaintiff the best chance for cure. Plaintiff is 27 years old and claimed large lost earnings. The arbitrator, a retired Los Angeles County judge rendered a verdict in favor of the defense.