A South Carolina jury has awarded $5.1 million in damages to Natalie Boyd, who sued her surgeon and his medical practice for removing her entire thyroid gland without consent. The verdict was delivered unanimously on August 29, with jurors finding that Dr. Richard C. Osman and Coastal Otolaryngology Associates in Myrtle Beach breached the standard of care and directly caused Boyd’s injuries.
Boyd filed the lawsuit in March 2021 after a December 2017 surgery at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center resulted in the removal of her entire thyroid gland. According to court documents, Boyd had four pre-operative visits with Osman, who was only supposed to remove the left part of her thyroid unless cancer was detected. No cancer was found during testing, but a total thyroidectomy was performed.
Following the surgery, Boyd reported ongoing health issues such as low energy, anxiety, difficulty swallowing, and choking. The jury awarded her $105,000 for out-of-pocket medical expenses and $5 million for physical and emotional injuries.
Attorneys for Osman and Coastal Otolaryngology Associates have challenged the verdict by filing a motion for a new trial on September 8. Gary Lovell, one of their attorneys, declined to comment due to pending motions.
In response to the request for a new trial, Boyd’s attorney James R. Davis wrote: “At trial, the jury found by the greater weight of the evidence the defendants failed to obtain informed consent to excise Ms. Boyd’s viable non-cancerous thyroid tissue, recklessly performed the unconsented and unnecessary total thyroidectomy surgery and as a result Ms. Boyd sustained permanent life-altering medical consequences and financial burden.”
Davis also stated that evidence presented at trial included handwritten instructions from Boyd specifying “left side only unless cancer,” supporting her claim that she did not consent to complete removal of her thyroid.
Osman’s legal team argued that Boyd never communicated this limitation and claimed she altered an office note regarding consent without Osman’s knowledge. They also said Osman recommended full removal ahead of another planned spine surgery.
Jurors were asked whether either party acted negligently or with gross negligence; both questions were answered “no.” However, they found enough cause to award damages based on breach of standard care.
Boyd also reached a settlement with Grand Strand Regional Medical Center before the jury trial began in 2024.
Dr. Osman’s medical license is currently inactive according to state records; it expired in June 2021 with no disciplinary history listed.
Davis told The Post and Courier: “Preserving a patient’s freedom to make the final call over their own medical decisions is a sacred right.” He added: “This case was about ensuring that right is protected and holding medical providers accountable when they disregard a patient’s clear surgical consent.”
