(WHAS11) – A local doctor faces a lawsuit and he is accused of wrongfully amputating a man's penis.
The case has been in the works for more than two years.
A man's penis was amputated during what was supposed to be a routine procedure here at Jewish Hospital in Oct. 2007.
Jewish Hospital and the anesthesiologist named in the lawsuit reached a confidential settlement last week.
The case against the doctor was supposed to go to trial Monday, but that's been delayed because of questions about whether both parties could have received a fair trial given all of the publicity about the case.
Hundreds of documents have already been filled with information about what a Shelby County man is calling a medical mistake.
Photos too graphic to show are also included in the files.
Phillip Seaton says he went to Jewish Hospital for what he thought was a routine circumcision operation on Oct. 19, 2007.
But when he awoke from the surgery, he discovered that the doctor had removed his entire penis.
The doctor who performed the surgery, Frankfort Urologist Dr. John Patterson says he removed Seaton’s penis because he discovered a cancerous growth on it.
He says he performed the procedure to keep it from spreading.
But the lawsuit alleges that the doctor was not given authorization to remove his penis.
And it indicates that performing the procedure deprived Seaton the opportunity to get a second opinion.
The cancer turned out to be a stage one cancer, considered by many medical experts to be treatable.
Jewish Hospital and the anesthesiologist involved in the procedure have now reached confidential settlements.
The trial was supposed to have started Monday, but the judge was concerned an article in the local paper a few days before might influence the jury pool.
Neither Seaton’s attorney nor Dr. Patterson's returned our call on Thursday.
A new hearing to schedule a court date is scheduled for next Wednesday.
