Tom Comstock and Tucker Levis Secured a Defense Verdict in Utah

Tom Comstock and Tucker Levis Secured a Defense Verdict in Utah

Salt Lake City
February 20, 2024

HPS Attorneys Tom Comstock and Tucker Levis secured a defense verdict on behalf of a Utah oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

The case involved a 59-year-old man who presented to a Salt Lake City dental office for an implant-retained prosthesis. At trial, the plaintiff claimed that the maxillary implants were placed into inadequate bone and invaded the sinus, resulting in the premature failure of the implants, an oro-antral fistula, and other health complications. The plaintiff claimed that a sinus lift and bone graft procedure should have been performed before placing the implants.

Comstock and Levis defended the medical care rendered by their oral surgeon, emphasizing that the plaintiff’s claims were known risks and complications and that the implants were placed with adequate bone. Their defense focused on the surgeon’s pre-operative clinical evaluation, contemporaneous radiographs, and the surgical technique to demonstrate that the care was appropriate.

At the conclusion of the trial, the jury returned a unanimous verdict for the defense. 

Disclaimer: This publication is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide general information on legal matters. Transmission is not intended to create and receipt does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Readers should seek specific legal and/or medical advice before taking any action with respect to matters mentioned in this publication. The attorney responsible for this publication is Marilee Clausing. This post constitutes a form of attorney advertising as defined by some state bar associations.