Appeals Court Upholds $112 Million Verdict To Carmel Doctor

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana appeals court has upheld a $112 million jury verdict in favor of a Carmel spine surgeon who sued medical device maker Medtronic over devices he invented and sold to the company.

Dr. Rick Sasso sued Medtronic, alleging that it violated a contract by not paying royalties he was due for spinal implants and screw-implant systems he invented and sold to the Ireland-based company.

Medtronic had appealed the verdict reached in 2018 by a jury in northern Indiana’s Marshall County.

The state appeals court panel rejected Medtronic’s arguments that the lawsuit should have been dismissed on jurisdictional grounds.

The judges ruled that sufficient evidence supported the jury’s decision that Medtronic shortchanged Sasso on royalties from the implant systems that became one of its largest product lines, with sales of more than $200 million a year.