Italian courts award over €2 million in separate medical misdiagnosis compensation cases

In Salento, a civil court in Lecce ordered the local health authority and a retired doctor to pay more than €1.3 million to the family of a 59‑year‑old woman who died in 2009 after an angioma was mistaken for a malignant tumor and she underwent unnecessary chemotherapy. The treatment caused myelodysplasia and acute myeloid leukemia, leading to her death.

Separately, a court in Catania ruled that the San Marco Hospital must compensate a family from Lucca with over €1 million and provide a lifelong annuity for a child born with severe cerebral disability. The disability resulted from a missed diagnosis of a rare renal pheochromocytoma in the mother during pregnancy, which led to premature delivery and permanent impairments.

Both judgments underscore judicial scrutiny of medical errors in Italy and the substantial financial repercussions for health institutions found negligent.