Italian courts order hospitals to pay millions for malpractice

The criminal court in L'Aquila sentenced the regional health authority (ASL) to compensate the three siblings of a 44‑year‑old woman who died of sepsis after a hospital stay. The judgment, issued on 30 May 2026, found that clinicians failed to recognize early signs of infection, likely contracted in the hospital, and ordered more than €270,000 in damages plus legal costs.

In a separate case, the tribunal of Pisa held the Azienda Ospedaliero‑Universitaria Pisana liable for a delayed diagnosis of colon cancer that led to the death of a 74‑year‑old woman in 2021. The court ruled that doctors omitted essential exams such as colonoscopy and fecal blood tests despite evident risk factors, and that surgical and postoperative care was inadequate. The hospital was ordered to pay nearly €1 million to the victim’s husband and daughter, reflecting both financial loss and psychological distress.