A Maine woman, Emily Mitchell, has been awarded $17 million in damages after surgeons mistakenly removed her bladder during an operation intended to treat a benign ovarian cyst. A Kennebec County jury reached the verdict last Thursday following a two-week medical malpractice trial against Northern Light Inland Hospital and Northern Light Health, her attorneys confirmed on Friday. The case highlights the severe, life-altering consequences that can result from surgical errors, even during procedures meant to address non-cancerous conditions.

The award is reported to be the largest medical malpractice verdict in Kennebec County's history, underscoring the scale of harm the jury found Mitchell had suffered. Details of the surgery itself and its aftermath were laid out during the trial, though further specifics of her recovery and the hospital's response have not been fully disclosed.