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Jury awards $14.5 million to Hollywood man

A paralyzed Hollywood optometrist was awarded $14.5 million by a Broward Circuit Court jury for botched surgery to insert a stent following a so-called mini-stroke.

Francis Ziadie went to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood in 2002 with dizziness and slurred speech, was given aspirin and the blood thinner Plavix and admitted overnight, said his attorney, Crane Johnstone of Sheldon Schlesinger P.A. in Fort Lauderdale. Colleague Valerie Conzo was co-counsel. Doctors diagnosed a transient ischemic attack, or a mini-stroke, which often heals itself in three to six months.

Dr. Hoang Dinh Duong of Radiology Associates of Hollywood recommended insertion of an arterial stent but punctured the arterial wall during surgery, Johnstone argued. The bleeding went unnoticed for hours and caused severe brain damage.

Duong was found liable in the monthlong trial Wednesday before Judge Charles Greene along with a doctor who previously settled. Dr. David Feldbaum, a member of the surgical team, was cleared of liability.

Ziadie, 53, who is paralyzed and incontinent and has speech problems, is cared for by his 76-year-old mother.

Sheldon J. Schlesinger, P.A. represents clients throughout the state of Florida including the cities of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Carol City, Cooper City, Coral Gables, Coral Springs, Davie, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah, Hollywood, Jupiter, Lake Worth, Miramar, Miami, Oakland Park, Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Springs, Pompano Beach, and Rivera Beach

Broward County • Miami-Dade County • Palm Beach County