Norwalk : $369,000 for Surgical Injury

A Norwalk Superior Court jury has awarded a Cerritos woman $369,000 after she was injured during a 1982 operation to remove hemorrhoids.

Linda Morton, 36, was awarded the money Feb. 25, after testimony was presented that said her anal sphincter muscle had been damaged during the operation at Pioneer Hospital in Artesia. The jury award, made after a two-week trial, was against Dr. Howard Snyder, formerly of Cypress and now practicing in Kansas. The award included $230,000 for past and future pain and suffering, $114,000 for past and future loss of earnings, and $25,000 for medical bills.

Lawyer Ned T. Reilly of Santa Ana said his client deserved the award because “she went through hell.� A second operation repaired some of the damage but Morton will have to be operated on again, Reilly said.

Snyder’s lawyer, Thomas O’Hagan of Los Angeles, could not be reached for comment.