by Francis Alkhalbey, Face2FaceAfrica.com
Former Cleveland Browns wide receiver David Bell is going after a renowned Pennsylvania health care system, as he filed a $300 million lawsuit alleging that a surgery he underwent ultimately “ended his career.”
Per NBC10 Philadelphia, Bell’s attorneys filed the lawsuit on his behalf on Thursday. The lawsuit, which seeks over $300 million in damages, names 15 defendants. The majority of those defendants were linked to Jefferson Health.
The lawsuit claims that the defendants engaged in a “financial scheme” to make money off the “unnecessary” surgery that caused Bell, 25, to retire from the NFL.
“He was nearly killed by a non-indicated surgery he was duped into having, and that ended his promising NFL career,” the complaint says.
Bell’s attorneys claim that the MRI findings that made him undergo the surgery were “misrepresented.” The lawsuit further claims that Bell had to receive lifesaving treatment after he suffered a serious injury during the surgery.
“We undertook a year-long investigation into this matter in which a number of truly world-leading surgeons and radiologists examined the matter, with many of them doing so on a no-fee basis,” Bell’s lead attorney, Brad Sohn, said.
“The findings were nothing short of astonishing and give us a high degree of confidence we can prove that hundreds of millions of dollars going to the defendants, individually and collectively, to perform these surgeries, were prioritized over the basic medical principle of First Do No Harm.”
The complaint highlights claims such as medical professional negligence, corporate negligence, and fraud.
The complaint states that Bell ultimately retired from the NFL last year, NBC10 Philadelphia reported. His attorneys also said he decided to file the lawsuit in an effort to prevent other patients from having an experience of such a nature and to recoup future earnings he couldn’t gain because of his injuries.
“What happened to our client, an elite NFL athlete, is just plain wrong. Even worse, it was totally preventable. We look forward to fighting every step of the way for him and the justice he deserves,” Bell’s co-counsel, Nathan Werksman, also said.
Jefferson Health, however, denied the allegations in a statement to the news outlet.owledged in the pleadings, Jefferson provided life-saving treatment to the patient and will vigorously defend its care and reputation.”
“Jefferson categorically denies these allegations. The physician who performed the procedure at issue is not employed by Jefferson,” the statement said. “The surgery that forms the basis of the complaint was not performed at Jefferson. As acknowledged in the pleadings, Jefferson provided life-saving treatment to the patient and will vigorously defend its care and reputation.”
Bell played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers before the Browns selected him in the 2022 NFL draft. He featured in 42 games for the Browns, and his career records include 41 receptions for 408 yards.
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