Eyoma v. Falco
Appellate Division of Superior Court of New Jersey
589 A.2d 653 (1991)
- Written by Nicholas Decoster, JD
Facts
In 1986, Francis S. Coker was admitted to Hackensack Medical Center for a procedure to remove his gallbladder. After the operation, Coker suffered from oxygen deprivation while in the recovery room and subsequently entered a comatose state for over a year before dying. Mary Eyoma (plaintiff), the administrator of Coker’s estate, brought a civil suit in New Jersey against William Brotherton (defendant), the anesthesiologist, and Linda Falco (defendant), the recovery-room nurse, to recover damages for wrongful death and survival. At trial, the judge instructed the jury that survival damages could be awarded for Coker’s loss of enjoyment of life while in a coma. The jury awarded $17,500 for loss of enjoyment of life, but the judge granted Eyoma’s motion for additur and raised the amount to $150,000. Falco appealed, arguing that the additur should be vacated and that the original award should be reinstated.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Shebell, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 807,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
