The Houston Post

December 21, 1988

Jury award satisfied girl's father

By Bill Hensel, Jr.

"I am tickled the jury found the people involved guilty and awarded my daughter properly," said Richard A. Kominczak, father of Monica Kominczak, who underwent a tonsillectomy at Heights Hospital on June 9, 1993.

"They kind of made it right," he said.

The youngster suffered brain damage form complications that arose during the operation and now functions at the level of a 3-month-old, testimony showed.

Richard and Paulette Kominczak sued the hospital, four doctors and an equipment manufacturer, alleging improper supervision, maintenance and monitoring of the operation and recovery.

The jury award against Dr. Enrique Villalobos and Dr. Stephen S. Ho found that Villalobos was 90 percent negligent and Ho was 10 percent responsible. The jury also found that neither doctor was guilty of "gross negligence".

Heights Hospital, Dr. Iraj Shaham, Dr. Edurado Diaz and Ohio Medical Products settled out of court, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs.

Defense attorneys could not be reached for comment Tuesday.