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“The Verdict” is a movie that deals with medical and legal ethics. Frank Gavin is an alcoholic who hasn’t won any of his cases in the past three years. Mickey, his former partner, gives him a medical malpractice case that is sure to settle for a large amount of money. The case of Deborah Ann Kay, a mother who was given anesthetic when she had Just eaten inhaled her vomit and is now in a coma. The Donaheys, her sister and brother in law are hoping for a good settlement and Frank assures them that they have a strong case.
While the case is going on he meets Laura, a woman at a bar who he falls in love with. Frank goes to visit Deborah Ann Kay in the hospital and is affected by her condition. He meets with the defendants who run the Catholic hospital where the incident happened. The defendants offer $210,000 to settle out of court but Frank declines. Frank feels this is his chance to do something right. Everyone was not happy with Frank declining the settlement.
A lot of things start to go wrong for Frank in the case: the brother in law finds out how much the settlement was and how he denied it, his expert medical witness disappears, his substitute witness testimony is questioned, the defendant attorney Concannon has an expert egal team, and the Judge favors Concannon. Mickey finds out Laura is a spy for the opposing side and Frank punches her in the face. Frank then finds Kaitlin Costello Pryce, a nurse that was asked to change her notes on the admittance form after the incident to hide Dr.
Towler’s error. Deborah Ann Kay had eaten 1 hour before admittance and no anesthetic is supposed to be given if so. Even though the testimony is not supposed to be used because of legal technicalities it stuns the courtroom. Frank then tells the Jury a closing statement about Justice and truth. Frank wins the case and the Jury wants to increase the award. Frank Gavin has a mixture of Utilitarian and Deontological standpoints in the movie. In the beginning of the movie he’s an alcoholic who goes to funeral to try and get cases.
His former partner Mickey gives him a moneymaker case and he was Just going to take the money. He then goes to the hospital to see Deborah Ann Kay and is deeply affected by it. He feels this is his chance to do something right and wants to provide fair Justice for her instead of Just taking the money. He doesn’t take the settlement or tell the Donaheys about it which he is supposed to tell them. He also tole mail from Maureen Rooney to get ahold of Kaitlin Costello Pryce. Frank did all of this because the end would Justify the means.
Even though some of the things he did weren’t right he wanted to do the right thing by providing Justice for Deborah Ann Kay. Concannon takes a Utilitarian standpoint and only cares about winning and money he doesn’t care about Justice. He wants to win by whatever means necessary. The money he gets by winning pays for the work they do with the poor, for law to be practiced, for general needs, and the leisure to do nice things. He also pays Laura to py on Frank to make his Job easier and see what Franks tactics are. apart of law again and is hired by Concannon to spy on Frank.
Laura then begins to care about Frank and they fall in love. She cannot bear what she is doing to Frank anymore and tries to tell him but he is too busy. By doing this she is trying to do the right thing. In the end she betrays Concannon and doesn’t tell him that Frank has Kaitlin Costello Pryce as a witness. By her not telling she is trying to do the right thing so Frank can get fair Justice for Deborah Ann Kay which she would take on a Deontological position. Dr. Towler takes a Utilitarian position. He didn’t read Deborah Ann Kars admittance form because he was really busy.
He gave her anesthesia when she had eaten within an hour before, from him doing this she inhaled vomit and is now in a coma. He had Kaitlin Costello Pryce edit the admittance form to cover his error and told her to keep quiet about it. This totally is unethical in the sense that a doctor is supposed to follow his responsibilities and procedures for every patient. It is also unethical because he tried to cover his mistake and not give Deborah Ann Kay the justice she deserved. Dr. Towler also put Kaitlin Costello Pryce in a situation she houldn’t have had to be in and she quit being a nurse because of it.
Dr. Gruber goes from a Deontological to Utilitarian standpoint. In the beginning he was supposed to be a witness for Frank. When Frank asks him why he’s willing to help his response was “because it’s the right thing to do, isn’t that why you’re dong it? ” when Frank goes to see him for their appointment to figure everything out for court he is nowhere to be found. Concannon must have bribed him to disappear, which doesn’t go with doing the right thing. Archbishop Brophy takes a Utilitarian position in the movie. Bishop Brophy is in charge of the Archdiocese of Boston who runs the church.
His only concern is for the reputation of the hospital. He doesn’t want embarrassment to happen so he wants to settle out of court. He doesn’t care of the injustice done to Deborah Ann Kay. The Judge takes a Utilitarian standpoint. In the movie he shows favoritism to Concannon while trying to belittle Frank Galvin. The Judge is stunned when Frank Galvin doesn’t take the money and tells Frank that he would have taken the money. His Job is supposed to make sure Justice is served but he doesn’t care about the njustice done to Deborah Ann Kay.
Maureen Rooney keeps quiet and doesn’t help either side out because of Dr. Towler’s silence about what happened and to protect Kaitlin Costello Pryce. When Frank threatens to subpoena her she tells him you guys are all the same and don’t care who you hurt all you care about is money. She does the right thing to not take Dr. Towler’s side and to protect Kaitlin Costello Pryce. She doesn’t doing the right thing by making sure Deborah Ann Kay gets Justice for what is done to her. admittance form and keeping quiet about the incident she eventually does the right thing. Dr.
Towler put pressure on her, which shouldn’t have been done; she quit being a nurse and moved away because of what happened. When Frank Galvin finds her she decides to be a witness for him so Justice can be served for Deborah Ann Deborah Ann Kay is supposed to have the right as a patient to good healthcare. She puts her trust into the doctors hands who are responsible to do their Jobs right. The doctor should have read her admittance form and is the reason she is now in a coma. When a doctor messes up she should be given fair Justice of the malpractice. The doctor trying to hide what happened is not fair Justice.