Recent Notable Cases
Gideon Asen obtains $2.4 million in medical malpractice trial. After a weeklong trial, a Penobscot County jury has awarded Louise Brown $2.4 million for an injury she sustained to her left arm during an endoscopic procedure at Eastern Maine Medical Center. Louise was represented by Taylor Asen and Trevor Savage. During trial, Taylor and Trevor argued that Louise had developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (“CRPS”). EMMC did not dispute negligence, but argued that Louise’s injuries were relatively insubstantial. On the last day of trial, EMMC called a private investigator, who had taken photos of Louise using her left arm to put garbage into her garbage can and to hold a grocery bag. During her examination, however, Louise had explained that she tries to use her left arm for fear of it continuing to atrophy.
The jury awarded Louise $1.4 million in economic damages for future care and $1 million for pain and suffering and emotional distress. “The jury sent a clear signal that they believed Louise Brown,” said Taylor Asen. “And for that, we are extremely grateful.”
Read more about the case here.
Gideon Asen filed a lawsuit on behalf of Wade Butler, the husband of Eliza Butler. Eliza died of metastatic breast cancer in January 2023. The lawsuit alleges that Eliza’s primary care providers at St. Jospeh Healthcare missed her cancer diagnosis for more than 3 ½ years, despite Eliza requesting evaluation for a lump in her left armpit. The lawsuit alleges that St. Joseph providers failed to follow up on ordering mammogram and ultrasound imaging, despite knowing about the lump, did not perform breast or axillary examinations and did not review prior medical records or communicate with others in the office to familiarize themselves with Eliza’s medical history. Eliza and Wade were beloved members of the Bangor community. For many years, they owned and operated a popular candy store, Specialty Sweets. Eliza leaves behind four young children, Jacoby, Penelope, Zachary and Emily. In the days leading up to Eliza’s passing while she was hospitalized, hundreds of people from the community gathered outside the hospital for a vigil. Click here to read the Complaint.
On October 25, 2023, Gideon Asen filed a medical malpractice lawsuit on behalf of Lyndsey Sutherland related to the death of her 15 year old daughter. The defendants are Martin’s Point and Mid Coast Medical Group.
The Complaint is available here
On October 19, 2023, Gideon Asen filed suit in Androscoggin County on behalf of Xiomara Alarcon, a first-generation immigrant from El Salvador (now a naturalized U.S. Citizen) and Bates College student who was struck by a WB Mason delivery truck while walking to the dining hall on a pedestrian walkway on the Bates College campus on September 8, 2022. Click here to read a copy of the lawsuit.
Julia Russell, represented by Gideon Asen, finally received justice for the abuse she endured 30 years ago.
A federal grand jury awarded Russell $4.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages after her suit claimed that Philip Chenevert, who was once a family friend, sexually abused her when she was only six years old.
Read more about the case here.
Gideon Asen recently represented a woman who was injured in a fall at an Air B&B. This case was one of the first civil trials in the Covid era in Maine and represented important legal issues about the duties of a property owner who turns a personal residence into a commercial business. Following the trial, the Judge found for the plaintiff and awarded $245,000. Click here to learn more.
Gideon Asen recently filed a motion requesting leave to file a First Amended Complaint in a New Hampshire case in which Gideon Asen represents a 4-year-old girl and her mother for serve brain injuries which occurred shortly after the girl’s birth. The newborn developed necrotizing enterocolitis resulting in bowel necrosis and perforation, bleeding, cardiac arrest, and hypoxic brain injury resulting in spastic quadriparesis and cerebral palsy. Click here to learn more.
Gideon Asen recently filed suit in a medical malpractice case on behalf of a woman who suffered injuries from a retained foreign object left inside of her after hysterectomy surgery. Click here to learn more.
Gideon Asen represents a woman whose vehicle was hit by a trucker working on the CMP Corridor. The crash resulted in catastrophic personal injuries to her and the death of her husband.
The complaint is available here.
We represent a patient who developed an epidural abscess that went untreated in St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor, Maine, for thirteen days and resulted in quadriplegia. The Complaint is available here.
We represent a patient who presented to EMMC with back pain and upper and lower extremity weakness, but was not properly and timely diagnosed and went on to develop permanent quadriplegia from a spinal epidural abscess. The Complaint is available here; this was also covered by The Bangor Daily News as well.
On September 13, 2021, Gideon Asen filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Estate of Robert Phair against Great Plains Trucking, an interstate trucking company. The trucking company was operating a flatbed tractor-trailer truck in violation of Federal law that requires reflectors on the sides of the trailer to illuminate the truck during nighttime driving. The truck as originally manufactured had the required reflectors, but they were removed and obscured over by dark-colored awnings used to cover merchandise. The tractor-trailer driver attempted to execute a dangerous left-turn from a Kubota dealership onto Route 4 in Auburn during busy nighttime traffic. The driver failed to yield to oncoming vehicles and positioned the trailer across the Northbound travel lanes of the road. The speed limit in that area is 55 mph. Several vehicles approached and all had difficulty seeing the trailer in the road given its lack of proper illumination. The pickup truck driven by Robert Phair likewise was unable to see the truck until it was too late and crashed into the side of the trailer. Mr. Phair was hospitalized with severe injuries as a result and later died in the hospital from those injuries. Gideon Asen represents Robert’s daughter Jennifer Phair who has been appointed Personal Representative of her father’s estate. Click here for the full complaint.
Gideon Asen filed suit against Circle K for injuries suffered by our client after he was assaulted inside a Circle K convenience store and later shot by the assailant. The store clerk witnessed the assault but failed to call the police, allowing the assailant to later shoot and almost kill our client. Click here for the federal complaint.
Gideon Asen filed suit against the Town of Wells under the Maine Torts Claims Act. We represent the individuals who were catastrophically injured after being hit at a high speed by Joshua Burton, a man who had recently stolen a vehicle and was being pursued at high speeds by the Wells Police. The Complaint, which is available here, alleges that the decision to pursue Burton at a high speed was negligent and proximately caused the crash.
Gideon Asen recently filed suit in Androscoggin County in a case on behalf of a male client in his fifties who developed prostate cancer that spread into his bladder, because his medical provider failed to inform him of the results of a prostate specific antigen (PSA) performed years’ earlier which showed that he likely had cancer. As a consequence, the cancer, which would have been curable had it been treated early, was allowed to grow and spread for years without treatment, resulting in a likely fatal prognosis. Click here for the full complaint.
In March, Gideon Asen, along with Massachusetts Local Counsel, filed suit in Massachusetts Superior Court, alleging that our client suffered spinal cord injury and paralysis in a procedure performed by a pain management clinic to address our client’s neck pain. The procedure, called, “Radio Frequency Ablation,” involves placing a needle probe under x-ray guidance to burn away nerve roots that are generating pain. In this case, the doctor negligently inserted the needle into the patient’s spinal canal and directly injured the spinal cord. Click here for the full complaint.
Gideon Asen represents a woman filing suit against Phillip Augustus Chenevert II for alleged sexual abuse during her childhood. Two other women are prepared to testify against the defendant for similar encounters when they were young. Russell claims that the events have caused her severe emotional distress. Because of this, Russell is pursuing compensatory and punitive damages from Mr. Chenevert. Click here for more information on the case.