A court filing shows Carle Health Methodist Hospital, formerly UnityPoint, admits to a medical mistake prompting a lawsuit originally filed in 2021.
The Feb. 18 motion reviewed by WCBU amends the Peoria hospital’s initial answer to plaintiff Greg Neubert’s claims that the use of improper sutures during a 2018 prostatectomy left him with “permanent and painful injuries.”
The hospital admits Dr. John Soble mistakenly used non-dissolving sutures after removing Neubert’s prostate, a type of suture incompatible with the surgery performed. The facility was operated by UnityPoint at the time of both the procedure and the filing of the lawsuit. Carle Health took over operations of the hospital from the UnityPoint network.
The Chicago law firm representing Neubert is Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard. Neubert’s attorney, Thomas Mulroy, says Neubert’s concern started with increasingly “worrisome symptoms” following the procedure. Mulroy says the long-term consequences require frequent management.
“Since the error, Mr. Neubert has lived his life in pain. He has had to undergo catheterization and multiple additional procedures. As a result of this error, my client’s life has been changed forever,” Mulroy said in a statement from the firm.
The law firm additionally claims Neubert received a letter from the hospital in 2019 informing him of the error and there are other pending lawsuits from patients who received similar letters after their own operations.
However, the hospital's legal representatives continue to deny allegations that Neubert suffered injuries directly related to the sutures in other parts of the Feb. 18 filing.
Carle Health responded to an emailed request for comment from WCBU with a statement:
"Carle Health will continue to work with all parties involved in this matter in good faith but will not comment on pending litigation."
Neubert’s lawsuit is ongoing in Peoria county court, with the next hearing scheduled for March 21.
