Man wins damages over testicle removal

HUNTINGDON, PA. — Four years after a surgeon mistakenly removed Steven Hanes’ left testicle rather than his right one, a jury in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, has awarded Hanes $870,000, including $250,000 in punitive damages, according to his attorney, Braden Lepisto.

Hanes had sought the surgery in 2013 after an ultrasound revealed that his right testicle had atrophied, with scarring and damage from a previous injury, according to court documents. His urologist scheduled an orchiectomy — surgical removal of the testicle — to help alleviate Hanes’ pain.

In a postoperative report, the surgeon, Valley Spencer Long, wrote: “At this point, it appeared that the left testicle and cord may actually have been removed instead of the right one,” according to court records.

Hanes filed a medical-malpractice suit against Long and J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in central Pennsylvania in 2014.

Lepisto said the jury of 11 women and one man deliberated for about 1 hour 20 minutes. adviser to Clarke, said in a statement that the sheriff notified DHS Secretary John Kelly late Friday that he “had rescinded his acceptance of the agency’s offer” to join the department. The Washington Post first reported on Clarke’s decision.