Woman wins massive settlement after bladder mistakenly removed during surgery for benign cyst - Fox News

What the report says

Fox News reported that a Kennebec County, Maine, jury awarded Emily Mitchell $17 million after a surgery meant to treat a benign ovarian cyst ended with the removal of her bladder. The award came last Thursday after a two-week medical malpractice trial against Northern Light Inland Hospital and Northern Light Health, according to Mitchell’s attorneys at Berman & Simmons. Fox News said the verdict was reportedly the largest medical malpractice award in the county.

According to the attorneys cited by Fox News, Mitchell underwent the procedure on March 1, 2023, after imaging showed the cyst had grown significantly. Her condition worsened afterward, and she was transferred to another hospital for emergency surgery. Surgeons later determined that her bladder had been removed in the first operation, and pathology found the removed tissue was full-thickness bladder tissue, the attorneys said.

Berman & Simmons said doctors could not repair or reconstruct the bladder because too little healthy tissue remained. Mitchell then used nephrostomy tubes for about eight months to drain urine from her kidneys and experienced infections, additional procedures and complications. She later had reconstructive surgery in Massachusetts, where surgeons used part of her small intestine to create a neobladder; her attorneys said she still needs catheterization and specialist care.

Fox News reported that jurors found the hospital entities liable and awarded damages for medical costs, suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life and permanent impairment. Northern Light Inland Hospital in Waterville closed in May 2025, with the health system previously citing financial and workforce pressures.