A man in New Mexico has received the largest medical payout in history after doctors “irreversibly” damaged his penis.
The patient, who has not been named, was scammed by a clinic that preyed on older men into receiving unnecessary injections into his genitals.
He can no longer get an erection and has to sit down to urinate because his penis has become covered in thick scar tissue.
The victim, then 66 years old, had visited NuMale Medical Center in Albuquerque in 2017 for treatment for fatigue and weight loss.
According to a lawsuit filed in 2020, the man was persuaded to receive “invasive erectile dysfunction injections” on his penis several times a week.
The lawsuit claims the injections caused permanent damage to the man’s penis.
Lawyers representing the plaintiff said: “His incompetence is permanent and the damage is completely irreversible.”
This week, after a four-year legal battle, the now 72-year-old was awarded $412 million in damages, the largest medical malpractice payout by a jury in U.S. history.
An unnamed man in New Mexico was awarded more than $400 million after suffering from impotence, penile scarring and the inability to urinate while standing up after receiving erectile dysfunction injections (stock image)
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The second largest occurred in 2006, when former basketball player Allan Navarro was awarded $216.7 million after doctors in Florida misdiagnosed his stroke as a headache, leaving him with brain damage.
Lori Bencoe, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiff, said, “It’s a national record-breaking case and it’s fair because I don’t think there’s a place for licensed professionals to defraud patients for money. That is a very egregious breach of their fiduciary duty.
“That’s a breach of trust and if someone wears a white coat, they shouldn’t do that.”
Nick Rowley, another attorney representing the man, said on Instagram that the man was sent home with a “dangerous chemical” injected into his penis and was given no antidote.
It is unclear which chemicals were used in the injections.
The award follows a trial that took place last month based on the lawsuit filed on behalf of the man in 2020. NuMale admitted no wrongdoing and made no comment on the findings.
Mr Rowley said patients were told they had to get at least three injections a week or face irreversible damage.
Brad Palubicki, president of NuMale Medical Center, shared Associated press that the company’s focus is on continuing to deliver responsible patient care while maintaining strict safety and compliance standards throughout its facilities.
He said: ‘While we respect the legal process, due to the ongoing legal proceedings we cannot comment on specific details of the case at this time.’
NuMale Medical Center (pictured here), the clinic that administered the injections, did not comment on the case findings
NuMale also has clinics in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Nebraska, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
The Albuquerque clinic specializes in erectile dysfunction and testosterone replacement, as well as weight loss and hair replacement, according to its website.
The company was launched in 2013 and claims to treat more than 100,000 patients.
The Albuquerque clinic has an average of 4.4 stars out of 54 Google reviews.
Injections for erectile dysfunction are intended to relax the muscles in the penis and open the blood vessels, leading to increased blood flow and erections. They typically work within five to fifteen minutes.
Erectile dysfunction affects approximately 30 million men in the US, the majority of whom are over the age of 65.