Maine District Court Denies Post-Trial Motions Challenging $25 Million Medical Malpractice Verdict

Portland, ME — March 2026 — Zimmer, Citron & Clarke successfully defended the jury verdict against a motion for a new trial in Sutherland v. Mid Coast Medical Group, preserving one of the largest medical-malpractice verdicts in Maine state history. Zimmer, Citron & Clarke will continue to defend that verdict on appeal.  

Photo by Natia Gioragdze

Gideon Asen LLC filed the lawsuit against Mid Coast Medical Group on behalf of Lyndsey Sutherland. Evidence at trial showed that Ms. Sutherland’s daughter, Jasmine Sutherland, presented to Mid Coast with serious symptoms, including chest swelling and difficulty breathing, but Mid Coast mis-diagnosed her with a minor condition and discharged her without appropriate testing. Jasmine was later found to be suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a condition that is highly treatable when timely diagnosed. She deteriorated in the five days after Mid Coast sent her home; her mother then rushed her to the ER, and she died within hours.

After a four-day trial, a Cumberland County jury found that Mid Coast’s failure to conduct basic diagnostic evaluation and to recognize clear clinical warning signs constituted a breach of the standard of care and was a proximate cause of Jasmine’s death. The jury awarded $15 million for Jasmine’s conscious pain and suffering and $10 million for her mother’s loss. A portion of that award was offset by a settlement from another medical provider and capped under state law, resulting in a final judgment of $13,650,000.

Following the verdict, Mid Coast moved for a new trial and for remittitur, challenging both the jury’s finding of liability and its damages award. Zimmer, Citron & Clarke’s attorneys briefed and argued the opposition to Mid Coast’s post-trial motions and successfully preserved the judgment. The firm now serves as appellate counsel and, in partnership with Gideon Asen, will continue to represent Ms. Sutherland before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, where both sides have filed notices of appeal—Mid Coast to continue to challenge the verdict and Ms. Sutherland to challenge the reduction of the verdict under state law.

Zimmer, Citron & Clarke has a national appellate practice focused on defending plaintiff-side verdicts and challenging losses after trial and on appeal. The firm is regularly retained in high-stakes matters to address post-trial and other dispositive motions, to consult on appellate strategy, and to brief and argue complicated legal issues in state and federal courts across the country.