Chicago Attorney Awarded $20M in Malpractice Settlement

A Wheaton man, and former Chicago attorney, was awarded $20 million to settle a malpractice lawsuit filed against Central DuPage Hospital after he was allegedly misdiagnosed.

Christopher Zinski, who was a partner at Schiff Hardin in Chicago at the time, went to Central DuPage Hospital complaining of a headache, neck pain, vomiting and disorientation four years ago and was given pain medication and sent home, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Just days later, the 50-year-old suffered from a stroke and collapsed at his desk, according to the newspaper. A ruptured aneurysm has resulted in severe memory loss and cognitive dysfunction for the father of four, according to the Daily Herald

"He's never going to have a normal life again," Burke told the Chicago Tribune. "He's never going to have the career he could have finished with. He's never going to have the friendships he enjoyed."

The lawsuit, filed by Zinski’s wife in 2013, claimed Zinski had a brain bleed that could have been detected if Central DuPage Hospital would have requested a CT Scan at the time of his visit in 2012, according to the Daily Herald.

Christopher King, a spokesman for Central DuPage Hospital, stood by the care the hospital provided to Zinski.

“While we believe the care provided at that time was appropriate, we hope this settlement brings closure to the patient and his family,” King said in a statement.

More via the Daily Herald and the Chicago Tribune