Aroostook County jury awards $23M in medical malpractice case

It was a bad fall in late 2020 that brought Robert Giordano to the emergency room at Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital in Presque Isle. A radiologist who reviewed Giordano’s chest scan from that visit reported no broken bones or other related injuries. He did not report a large, bony calcification that Giordano’s attorney would describe years later as a “dangerous ticking time bomb in his spine.” [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/IMG_1529.jpeg) Robert Giordano with his wife, Nicole Giordano, and his attorney, Travis Brennan. (Courtesy of Berman & Simmons) On Thursday, an Aroostook County jury found that Northern Light Health had committed medical malpractice, through several employees who treated Giordano, by failing to fully interpret the scan and his later complaints of numbness and worsening pain. Giordano was awarded $23.1 million in damages. His attorneys say this is likely the second largest medical malpractice verdict in Maine history, after a New Gloucester mother was awarded $25 million last year in her lawsuit against MaineHealth related to her daughter’s death. A spokesperson for Northern Light said in a statement on Monday that the health system disagrees with the verdict and “the magnitude of this award.” Northern Light did not respond to questions about any plans for an appeal. Travis Brennan, Giordano’s attorney, said the verdict included damages for what his client has spent and will continue to pay for as a result of his injuries. Brennan said the amount is not restricted by any caps under state law. The verdict last year against MaineHealth was reduced to account for [legal limits on wrongful death damages](https://www.pressherald.com/2025/11/21/a-maine-mothers-25m-medical-malpractice-verdict-was-the-largest-in-the-states-history-she-wont-see-it-all/). “The severity of the injuries here, and the cost of the future medical expenses that Robert faces going forward, make this verdict very fair and appropriate under these circumstances,” Brennan said on Monday. Advertisement Giordano sued Northern Light and its hospital in Presque Isle in 2023. During a two-week trial in Caribou this month, Brennan said he argued that Northern Light violated its own policy to disclose any “critical findings” in radiology scans, including unexpected, time-sensitive or life-threatening results. Brennan said on Monday that spinal cord compressions are included in a list of examples. Related [Judge denies Brunswick health group’s request for new trial after mom received $25M verdict](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/03/17/judge-denies-brunswick-health-groups-request-for-new-trial-after-mom-received-25m-verdict/) In an interview Monday, Giordano said he was not diagnosed with the spinal compression until Jan. 30, 2021, more than a month after that initial radiology scan. He went for several follow-up appointments before then, including two telehealth visits with Northern Light employees on Jan. 29, 2021. Giordano said he reported to one nurse practitioner that he was experiencing more pain, difficulty standing and numbness. Giordano’s lawyers said in the lawsuit that these would have appeared to be new symptoms if Northern Light had compared their client’s complaints to records from earlier visits that month. According to the lawsuit, a nurse suggested Giordano was exaggerating his pain to get more opioids. Giordano’s attorneys noted that he has no history of substance use disorder. After hearing Giordano’s complaints during a second telehealth visit an hour later, an orthopedic nurse ordered X-rays be taken the following week. Advertisement Giordano said he called 911 the following night when he was unable to move his legs. Giordano was transported by LifeFlight to the Northern Light hospital in Bangor, where an MRI revealed Giordano’s spinal cord compression, according to the lawsuit. He received surgery the following day and remains paralyzed from the chest down. Giordano said on Monday that his life has changed drastically as a result of his paralysis. Before, Giordano said, he loved “hiking, setting up camp in the woods, chopping down trees, you know, for firewood.” For work, he said he worked “sunup to sundown” as a flagger for road construction projects. In marriage, Giordano said he took pride in being the kind of partner who took care of and provided for his spouse. Now, his wife is his caretaker. Every night, Giordano said she sets a series of alarms so she can turn him over every two hours to avoid bed sores. He had to leave their upstairs bedroom because he couldn’t keep using his arm strength to pull himself up and down the staircase. He said he now sleeps in the living room, where also has to bathe because their bathroom is on the second floor. He relies on a feeding tube and a non-invasive ventilator to help him breathe, and recently upgraded from a manual wheelchair to a battery-powered one after qualifying through insurance. He said it cost $30,000. Travel has also been a challenge. For non-medical appointments, Giordano said he relies on a public transportation service that makes stops once a week from Madawaska to Presque Isle and Caribou. Giordano said on Monday that he has been in Caribou since the trial ended Thursday, waiting for a ride back to Madawaska later this week. The verdict was “validation of what happened to me,” he said. “It also gives my wife and I a sense of security that I will be able to have a handicapped home,” he said. “Proper transportation for myself, and medical care.” Copy the Story Link Tagged: [aroostook county](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/aroostook-county/), [lawsuit](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/lawsuit/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/emily-allen) [Emily AllenStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/emily-allen) Emily Allen covers courts for the Portland Press Herald. It's her favorite beat so far — before moving to Maine in 2022, she reported on a wide range of topics for public radio in West Virginia and was. [More by Emily Allen](https://www.pressherald.com/author/emily-allen)