A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Austin Stone, the young Kansas man who suffered brain damage in 2009 following oral surgery at a new dental office in Lawrence,according to a story in the Lawrence Journal World.
The lawsuit, filed in April 2010, alleged that oxygen and nitrous oxide lines were crossed during the design and construction of an oral surgery facility operated by Kirk Vincent, DDS, and that this incorrect installation led to Stone suffering severe brain damage.
Seven defendants were named in the suit: Dr. Vincent, Action Plumbing, Patterson Dental Supply, Blanchard Design Group, Design Build Collaborative, Hoss & Brown Engineers, and the city of Lawrence.
On January 28, Stone's family reached a $3 million settlement with Action Plumbing, the company that installed the gas lines, although Action Plumbing denied liability.
The remaining six defendants went to mediation on March 23, and after what attorneys described as "a very, very lengthy, very hard" discussion, the matter was settled and the case will be dismissed, according to the Journal.
A hearing with Douglas County Chief District Judge Robert Fairchild to formally dismiss the case is scheduled for April 13.
