A Minnesota jury has awarded nearly $19.8 million to an Iowa woman who said a Mayo Clinic surgeon’s mistake during a 2018 procedure left her disfigured, traumatized, and in chronic pain.
The verdict — delivered in a Minnesota courtroom this week — brings long-awaited vindication to Linette Nelson, a mother of two from Fort Dodge, Iowa, whose three-stage colorectal surgery at Mayo Clinic went disastrously awry.
Nelson’s attorneys at the Hixson & Brown Law Firm argued that during the second stage of her surgery in June 2018, colorectal surgeon Dr. Amy Lightner failed to remove the full length of diseased rectal tissue as planned, leaving 5 to 7 centimeters behind. A later CT scan flagged the remaining “rectal cuff,” but her legal team said Lightner dismissed the findings and proceeded with the next operation.
What followed was months of worsening symptoms and confusion — until Nelson received sudden word that Lightner was “gone” from Mayo and her return uncertain. Concerned, the clinic’s chief of colorectal surgery, Dr. David Larson, examined Nelson and concluded the previous surgeries had to be completely redone. The revision process took more than a year.
According to her attorneys, the ordeal left Nelson with permanent disfigurement, pelvic floor disorder, fibromyalgia, PTSD, and chronic pain that will affect her for the rest of her life.
Court records show the jury awarded $3.7 million for past pain and emotional distress, and an additional $12.1 million for future emotional suffering. With added interest, her legal team estimates Nelson’s total compensation will exceed $27 million.
“The jury’s verdict speaks truth and justice,” attorney LaMar Jost said in a statement. “World-class reputations don’t excuse life-altering medical negligence.”
Lightner now practices in California; she did not respond publicly to the verdict.
Mayo Clinic, one of the most acclaimed medical institutions in the country, expressed disappointment with the jury’s decision. “Mayo Clinic respects the jury’s time and the judicial process but is disappointed in the verdict,” a spokesperson told WCCO. “The organization will evaluate next steps while remaining steadfast in its commitment to providing the highest standards of care.”
