The son and daughter of an elderly woman are suing Advocate Hospitals and Pentax Medical, alleging negligence and product liability in a wrongful death claim.
Ronald Winkler and Iris Tripicchio, administrators of the estate of Renate Winkler, filed a lawsuit Aug. 31 against Advocate Health and Hospitals Corp. doing business as Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and Pentax Medical, a division of Pentax of America Inc.
According to the complaint, on five occasions in 2012 and 2013, Renate Winkler underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography testing at Advocate Lutheran in Park Ridge using a duodenoscope manufactured by Pentax. During the tests, the suit says, the pen-sized instrument had not been properly cleaned, causing Winkler to contract an antibiotic-resistant infection that led to her death Dec. 7, 2013.
The plaintiffs seeks a six-person jury trial and damages of more than $50,000. They are represented by attorneys Marc Weissman of the Law Offices of Stephen J. Marlman & Associates in Chicago, Peter J. Flowers of Meyers & Flowers in Chicago, Robert J. Nelson and Lexi J. Hazam of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein in San Francisco, and Wendy R. Fleishman and Kelly K. McNabb of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein in New York.
Cook County Circuit Court case number 2015-L-008927.