Family of woman blame Ingalls Memorial Hospital, doctor for permanent disability

The family of a woman is suing over claims she suffered permanent disability after an undiagnosed illness.

Johnnie Watkins, as guardian of the estate of Johnnice Ford, a disabled person, filed a lawsuit in July in the Cook County Circuit Court against Ingalls Memorial Hospital, Ingalls Health System and Dr. Bari Parks-Ballard.

According to the complaint, Ford was a patient of Parks-Ballard at Ingalls Memorial Hospital on Sept. 10, 2008, when she was diagnosed with dehydration, among other ailments. Watkins claims Ford was later diagnosed with Wernicke's encephalopathy, a neurological disorder, at another hospital.

Watkins alleges that the defendants' negligence and failure to diagnose Ford's illness and consult neurologists led to Ford's permanent disability.

Watkins is seeking more than $50,000 in damages and is being represented in the case by attorneys at Susan E. Loggans Associates P.C. in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L007420.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.