by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | July 06, 2026
A Maine jury has awarded $23.1 million to a man who was left permanently paralyzed after delays in diagnosing and treating spinal cord compression, according to court proceedings and statements from the plaintiff's attorneys.
The verdict, returned June 18 in Aroostook County Superior Court, found Northern Light AR Gould Hospital and Northern Light Health negligent in the care of Robert Giordano, a Madawaska resident who sought treatment after a fall in December 2020. According to Berman & Simmons, the law firm representing Giordano, the award is the largest non-wrongful death medical malpractice verdict in Maine history.
The case centered on allegations that a CT scan performed during Giordano's initial emergency department visit showed a large bony calcification extending into the spinal canal, but the finding was not identified or communicated. Giordano was discharged without further evaluation for spinal cord compression, according to the plaintiff's case.
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Court testimony indicated that Giordano's neurologic symptoms worsened over the following six weeks. The day before he became paralyzed, he sought care from his primary care provider and an orthopedic specialist, but neither referred him for emergency evaluation, according to the verdict.
"The jury's verdict provided validation for our client that this tragic situation never should have happened," Travis Brennan, an attorney with the Lewiston, Maine-based law firm Berman & Simmons, said in a statement following the verdict.
On Jan. 31, 2021, Giordano was transported by ambulance to Cary Medical Center before being airlifted to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. An MRI confirmed spinal cord compression, and surgeons performed two operations. The procedures did not restore neurologic function, and Giordano remains paralyzed from the chest down, according to trial testimony.
The jury determined that the negligence resulted in permanent injuries, awarding damages for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent impairment, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of consortium.
