A Virginia man was recently awarded $500,000 in court after being mocked and insulted during a colonoscopy in 2013, ABC News reported.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, prepared for his colonoscopy by pressing record on his smartphone to capture the instructions his doctor would give him after the procedure, according to canada.com.
However, as soon as he pressed play, he discovered that not only did he record the whole examination, but that the doctor and the surgical team had insulted and mocked him once he fell asleep.
Tiffany Ingham, the anesthesiologist and defendant, was recorded saying "after five minutes of talking to you in pre-op, I wanted to punch you in the face and man you up a little bit."
In addition to defamation, evidence of malpractice was noted. According to the patient's medical chart, one of the medical staff had written that he had hemorrhoids, when he didn't.
In light of this evidence, the Fairfax County jury ordered Ingham and her practice to pay the man after a three-day trial. He was awarded $100,000 for defamation (for comments about the man having tuberculosis and syphilis), $200,000 for medical malpractice, as well as $200,000 in punitive damages.
Ingham has since left her old Anesthesia practice and moved to Florida. Calls to the number believed to be Ingham's were not returned, and she was unable to be reached for comment.
