QUEST DIAGNOSTICS AND CLINICAL PATHOLOGY LABORATORIES AT THE CENTER OF LAWSUITS IN IRELAND
Two American lab companies have recently been sued in Ireland for incorrectly clearing women’s smear tests when their results indicated signs of cervical cancer. New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics, Texas-based Clinical Pathology Laboratories (CPL), and an Irish lab were audited by the Irish government in 2014 when they discovered that 209 Irish women were misdiagnosed in their screening programs. Since then, 18 of these women have died, and most of the others were never informed of their cancer.
One of the victims, Vickey Phelan, only found out about her misdiagnosis when she reviewed a page from the audit in her medical file, realizing that she had cancer since 2011. “That was the day I contacted solicitors and decided I’m going to take this further,” she said.
In April of this year, Vicky reached a settlement of approximately $3 million with Ireland’s Health Services and CPL. She was the first of these women to go to court.
Another woman by the name of Emma Mhathuna has since won a lawsuit that settled at $8.76 million against Quest Diagnostics, one of America’s largest labs. Diagnosed with cervical cancer back in 2016, the single mother of five believes she would have had a better chance of survival if they hadn’t missed the warning signs on her previous tests.
Both women plan to use their settlements to spend time with their families and seek further treatment.
Attorney Cian O’Carroll, representing over 60 women who have been misdiagnosed, says he believes women in the United States should also be concerned if they use these lab companies. “Not only did they get the tests wrong, but they got them very, very wrong” O’Carroll stated.
CERVICAL CANCER LAWYERS
The Potts Law Firm is representing victims of cervical cancer who have been misdiagnosed by Quest Diagnostics and Clinical Pathology Laboratories. If you or a loved one received testing and did not obtain a proper diagnosis which led to further injury or death, contact The Potts Law Firm to meet with our attorneys. We have the resources and knowledge to evaluate your case both legally and medically with our staff of highly accredited lawyers, medical directors, and physicians.