Hicks Thomas' Wade Whilden Named Texas Lawyer 'Litigator of the Week'

HOUSTON – Wade H. Whilden Jr., partner at Hicks Thomas LLP, was named “Litigator of the Week” by Texas Lawyer for winning a $4.2 million verdict for his clients in a medical malpractice case.

A jury in Harris County’s 133rd District Court issued its verdict Oct. 11 after two weeks of testimony. Mr. Whilden told Texas Lawyer he took it as a good omen when the jury asked for calculators on their way into deliberations.

The case involved 46-year-old Lancer Windrum who died in 2010 of complications from a buildup of spinal fluid in the brain. Evidence showed that hospital emergency room doctors properly diagnosed his condition, which is typically treated with an implanted drainage tube. However, Dr. Victor Kareh rejected that diagnosis and failed to provide this standard, lifesaving treatment.

After three hours of deliberations, the jury was unanimous as to Dr. Kareh’s liability. Jurors also concluded that Windrum bore no responsibility for the cause of his own death, a finding that “meant a lot” to the family, Mr. Whilden told Texas Lawyer. He represented Mr. Windrum’s widow, Tracy, and their three young children.

The Texas Lawyer article appeared in the Nov. 4 edition