In one of the largest malpractice cases ever in Maine, a jury has sided with a victim of alleged hospital negligence.

Robert Giordano sued Northern Light and A.R. Gould Hospital in Presque Isle claiming doctors failed to identify bone calcification in his spinal canal and failed to follow emergency protocols, rapidly leading to his paralysis.

“The jury’s verdict provided validation for our client that this tragic situation never should have happened,” Portland lawyer Travis Brennan told the Bangor Daily News.

“We are deeply sympathetic to Mr. Giordano and his wife and recognize the profound impact that his condition is having on their lives,” Northern Light spokesperson Suzanne Spruce said. “However, we disagree with jury’s verdict and the magnitude of this award.”

Giordano argued that Northern Light’s negligence caused damages including extraordinary medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and emotional distress, loss of earnings and earning potential, and permanent impairment, according to TheCounty.me.

The $23.1 million is just below a $25 million wrongful death verdict against Mid Coast Medical Group last fall.

A judge later reduced that total to $15 million because of monetary caps in Maine’s Wrongful Death Act, Cameron Levasseur of TheCounty reports.