PIERRE, S.D. - An attorney's questionable closing arguments may have unfairly dashed the outcome of a weeklong medical malpractice trial, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday. Ordering a second trial for plaintiff Lucille Schoon of Brookings, the justices said defense attorney Ed Evans of Sioux Falls made several mistakes in closing arguments to Minnehaha County jurors. Evans, who currently is representing U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow on criminal charges related to a fatal traffic accident, defended Dr. Thomas L. Looby and Sioux Valley Clinic against negligence claims made by Schoon. Schoon, 66, complained that Looby botched two surgeries on her in 1996.
Posted by Editor at October 9, 2003 10:30 AM