Family illness prompts continuance in med-mal

A Beaumont judge granted an area physician's motion for continuance on Tuesday, Jan. 17, giving the doctor's attorney an extra month to tend to his ill father-in-law.

Katherine Meguess filed two separate suits against Dr. Craig Charleston and his practice, Coastal Pain Care, claiming he failed to timely report MRI findings that would have detected her lung cancer.

Court records show that on March 8 Judge Donald Floyd, 172nd District Court, granted Dr. Charleston's motion to consolidate and combined both suits.

Several months later, a docket control order was entered, slating a February 2012 trial for the combined cases.

With the trial looming, Dr. Charleston filed his motion for continuance, stating that Houston attorney Matthew Hughes' father-in-law was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer and has now entered hospice.

Judge Floyd ordered that the case be bumped from his February docket to the March, giving the attorney an extra month to prepare, court records show.

According to the lawsuit, on Aug. 26, 2008, Meguess underwent an MRI "which was interpreted to show a possible 9mm right lung pulmonary node."

The MRI report was forwarded to Meguess's attending physician, Dr. Charleston, who allegedly "failed to advise Meguess of the MRI findings" and failed to preform any follow up treatment, the suit states.

On Oct. 12, 2010, Meguess was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, which she alleges could have been managed earlier if Charleston reported his findings and ordered more tests.

Beaumont attorney Clay Dugas represents her.

Case No. E188-692