Ex-Judge Wins $308,000 in Leg Amputation Lawsuit

A jury on Thursday awarded more than $300,000 to a former Orange County Superior Court judge and his wife after finding that his leg was amputated because of improper treatment of a foot infection.

Raymond F. Vincent, 66, of Yorba Linda, and his wife Charlotte, were awarded a combined $308,000 in compensatory damages after more than two years of litigation during which the defendants refused to settle out of court for $70,000, according to the defense attorneys.

The jury found Thaine B. Price, 66, a vascular surgeon with an Anaheim office, negligent for failing to properly treat Vincent for a blister on his right foot that became infected and resulted in the amputation of his leg from the knee down in 1983.

Vincent’s medical problem was complicated because he suffered from diabetes, which curtailed the flow of blood in his foot, Vincent’s attorney, Robert Schwartz, said.

The jury, however, cleared surgeon David Tsoong and Anaheim Memorial Hospital of negligence in a separate incident that resulted in the amputation of the rest of Vincent’s leg.

Vincent injured the remainder of his leg when he fell down while trying to use a walking device at his home shortly after he was released from the hospital, according to his suit. Vincent claimed in his lawsuit that he was released from the hospital too early by Tsoong and that the hospital staff did not provide proper training for using the walking device.

Price’s attorney, Robert Wills, said he will seek to reduce the jury’s award at a Superior Court hearing scheduled for March 26 and may also ask for a new trial.

Schwartz claimed that his client lost his leg due to the infected blister because Price did not hospitalize Vincent “until it was too late.”

“(Price) failed to recognize the signs of infection in his diabetic patient and failed to properly treat the wound to prevent the infection,” Schwartz said.

But Wills argued that “there was nothing anyone could do to stop (the amputation)” because Vincent was suffering from a vascular disease that was complicated by his diabetic condition.

Vincent, who retired from the bench in 1981, could not be reached for comment Thursday. His attorney said Vincent now has an artificial leg but needs two crutches to walk.

The jury in Santa Ana awarded Vincent $50,000 for past compensatory damages, $200,000 for future compensatory damages and $8,724 for past medical expenses. His wife, Charlotte, was awarded $50,000 for future compensatory damages.