Doctor Dismissed Wife’s Agonizing Post-Surgery Pain as ‘Normal’ — Then She Died

It took less than an hour for a jury to find an Alabama doctor liable for the death of 71-year-old Anne Davis, who died after experiencing severe pain following gallbladder surgery. On September 17, the jury awarded $6 million to Davis’s family after a six-day trial in Houston County, according to a news release from the Hare Wynn law firm, which represented the family.

The tragic incident began in September 2017, when Davis underwent gallbladder surgery and was discharged to recover at home. Soon after, she began experiencing extreme stomach pain, despite taking pain medication prescribed by her surgeon at Wiregrass Surgical in Dothan, the family’s lawsuit states. When her husband, Billy Davis, called the clinic to report her symptoms, he was told the pain was expected, reported Miami Herald.

As the pain intensified, Billy Davis brought Anne to the clinic, where she was seen by Dr. Bradley T. Marker, the partner of her surgeon, who was out of town. Marker assured the couple that the pain was “normal” and prescribed a different medication, according to the lawsuit. “He told my dad it was fine to send my mom home, and then he dismissed him,” their daughter, Betsy Davis Swihart, recalled in an interview.

However, Anne’s condition worsened, and she was later rushed to the emergency room. Marker attended to her at 2:37 a.m. on September 23, 2017, and found her abdomen “full of bile.” Tragically, Anne Davis died within hours.

Following her death, her husband filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Wiregrass Surgical and Dr. Marker. The clinic and Marker’s attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“My dad would have done anything to get my mom help,” Swihart said. In the years following her mother’s death, her father developed dementia and passed away in August. “It’s heartbreaking to know that other families have gone through the same thing,” she said, adding that her family continued the legal fight even after her father’s death for the sake of justice.

During the trial, attorney Leon Ashford revealed that Marker initially documented in his medical notes that it was safe for Anne Davis to return home. However, when he later saw her critically ill in the hospital, he attempted to change the narrative, claiming she had refused to go to the hospital earlier that day. “The jury didn’t believe that,” Ashford said.

Attorney Ashley Peinhardt, also representing the family, noted that Marker admitted under cross-examination to trying to “paint a different narrative” to protect himself. The jury’s swift decision was a victory for the Davis family, although Swihart emphasized, “No amount of money will ever bring her back.”