Brunswick Medical Group Liable in Teen Jasmine Vincent's 2021 Death

District Judge Michael Duddy refused to give Mid Coast Medical Group a second chance, denying the Brunswick health provider's motion for a new trial and rejecting its separate request to reduce a $25 million jury verdict tied to the 2021 death of Jasmine Vincent.

A Cumberland County jury reached its verdict in September after finding that Mid Coast's negligence contributed to Jasmine's death. Jurors awarded her mother, Lyndsey Sutherland, $15 million for Jasmine's conscious pain and suffering and $10 million for Sutherland's loss of companionship. Attorneys said the award stands as the largest medical malpractice verdict in Maine history.

In an order filed March 4, Duddy described the human weight behind the numbers. "In this case, the jury heard evidence about the unfathomable loss of a wonderful young lady after suffering for a week, and the grief of a mother whose life will never be the same," he wrote. "There is ample competent evidence in the record to support the jury's verdict, and the verdict bears a rational relationship to the evidence."

Despite the $25 million award, Sutherland will not collect the full amount. Maine state law caps certain wrongful death damages at $750,000, meaning her actual recovery falls far short of what jurors intended. Sutherland's attorney, Meryl Poulin, said they plan to challenge the constitutionality of that cap.

The legal fight is far from over. Attorneys for both sides have filed notices of appeal, asking Maine's highest court to review the case. The constitutional challenge to the $750,000 cap adds a second front to the litigation, one that could have consequences extending well beyond this case for families pursuing wrongful death claims in Maine.