Witness’ credibility questioned in Stateville medical negligence case

Defense attorneys for contracted doctors at the Stateville Correctional Center — who are being sued for medical negligence damages — called the testimony of a plaintiff witness into question, Wednesday.

During the third day of the trial, which appeared before U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly in the Dirksen Federal Building, defense attorney for Dr. Arthur Funk and the Wexford Health Source, Michael Slovis called into question previous testimony given by Las Vegas sex therapist Tiger Devore. Slovis questioned Devore’s lack of experience consulting with prisoners who have hypospadias — a condition where the opening of the penis is on the underside of the organ, rather than the tip.

Devore was called as a witness by an attorney for Lamont Hall, 30, who claims he was denied medical treatment and proper care while he was an inmate at Stateville in 2013, according to his complaint.

In November 2012, Hall was shot in his penis while on parole. He was later jailed and was unable to have a necessary secondary surgery on his wound. Hall claims he was mistreated by doctors at Stateville over a nine-month period and was ridiculed by fellow inmates for his condition.

“On more than one occasion I had to go without medical supply, like catheters and soap, for more than seven days,” Hall wrote in his complaint.

Additionally, Hall was forced to self-catheterize four times a day without a numbing agent, and the pain prevented him from sleeping well. Due to the nature of his injury, Hall had to sit down to urinate, which caused him ridicule and harassment from his fellow inmates. His request to shower every day in order to prevent infection was denied, according to his complaint.

Slovis questioned Dr. Devore’s knowledge of Hall’s medical records, which he had not seen in entirety until later conversations with the plaintiff and his attorneys. Additionally, he asked Devore about the lack of complaints Hall filed during his meetings with physician assistant Diane Schwarz, who is also named as a defendant.

Hall’s attorney, Joshua Fogarty, refuted Slovis’ assertions that Hall had not reported any mistreatment, according to documentation of meetings with Schwarz at Stateville. But Devore attributed Hall’s lack of complaints during meetings with Schwarz to the rushed nature of these meetings, which Hall relayed to Devore over the phone. Fogarty asked Devore if he ever felt Hall or his attorneys had withheld information from him intentionally, to which he answered, no.

Hall was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and PTSD prior to receiving his gunshot wound, according to Devore’s testimony.

Hall initially sought $2.5 million in damages, but in an amended complaint filed by his attorneys, Hall does not state a specific amount, asserting that costs attributed to his mistreatment and attorney fees are still accruing.