Italian Supreme Court rules on two medical malpractice cases

The Court of Cassation rejected the civil appeal and confirmed the acquittal of psychiatrists Giovanni Bivona and Sergio Speziale and nurses Giuseppe Magro, Rosa Termini, Antonina Vaiana and Antonino Gisone in Sciacca. They had been previously cleared of homicide charges in the 2015 suicide of a patient hospitalized in the psychiatry department, and the court found the alleged professional negligence did not exist.

In a separate ruling, the Supreme Court closed a civil case concerning a 76‑year‑old woman from Bolzano. After multiple spinal surgeries between 2010 and 2019, a post‑operative infection was only diagnosed in 2014, leading to permanent motor impairment. The court ordered compensation of more than €500,000, rejecting the health authority’s and insurer’s attempts to overturn the decision.