A Sioux Falls lawyer who tried her first case as the lead trial attorney won a historic jury verdict earlier this month.

A jury awarded Jami Bishop’s client  $1 million on March 3. The judgment was entered by Federal District Court Judge Karen Schreier on March 6.

While the jury award was substantial, that’s not what stood out. It was the fact that Bishop convinced a jury to render a verdict against a doctor in a medical malpractice case.

The verdict broke a long string of victories for defendants in medical malpractice suits in South Dakota. While the exact number isn’t known, a string of dozens of defense verdicts has been won in medical malpractice suits against health providers, say lawyers who practice in the field. Russ Janklow, who practices law with Bishop, said he didn’t think a plaintiff had won a case in Sioux Falls in nearly 20 years.

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