MINNEAPOLIS -The family of an Eden Prairie teen who died during surgery to remove her wisdom teeth has reached a $2 million settlement with the oral surgeon who performed the procedure.
The lawsuit against Dr. Paul Tompach filed by the family of 17-year-old Sydney Galleger was scheduled to go to trial in May 2018.
Instead, court documents show the medical malpractice case filed in Hennepin County District Court was settled late last month. The lawsuit claimed negligent and dangerous actions taken during the routine procedure led to the teen's death in June 2015.
Those actions included incorrectly administering general anesthesia to failing to adequately monitor the girl during surgery. Sydney went into cardiac arrest and died days later as a result of insufficient oxygen to the brain.
Her organs were donated to help others. In July 2016 Sydney's parents, Diane and Steve Galleger, retained counsel and began assembling a case for a malpractice lawsuit.
After a failed attempt at mediation with Dr. Tompach and his legal team, a lawsuit was filed in Hennepin County District Court.
Eventually, a settlement conference and lengthy negotiations led to a proposed $2,060,000 deal, which the Galleger's accepted.
Tompach had his license temporarily suspended by a state licensing board. He's currently on the faculty of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.
