Iowa to pay $240K to settle medical malpractice lawsuit against UI

Jason Clayworth
The Des Moines Register

Iowa will pay $240,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics was “vicariously liable” for the death of a Jefferson County man.

University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City.

The lawsuit claims the July 7, 2014, death of Joe Milton Tarver, Jr, 65, was caused by a procedure to make specific body parts more visible to read medical imaging technology. Tarver, of Fairfield, died of respiratory distress about 10 days after the procedure.

The Iowa Appeal Board on Monday approved the settlement. The hospital will pay $40,000 of the settlement with the rest being paid from the state’s general operating account.

Up to 40 percent of the settlement will be paid to attorneys who represented the family, according to court documents.