Portland Man Loses Both Legs After Kaiser Care, Sues for $534 Million

A Portland man says a heart medication his own doctors should have known was dangerous for him triggered a cardiac arrest that cost him both of his legs, and he is now suing Kaiser Permanente and several physicians for nearly $534 million. Mathew Williamson filed the lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court on August 21, alleging that negligence and recklessness by his healthcare providers led to catastrophic, life-altering injuries.

According to KATU, Williamson had a history of atrioventricular (AV) block and required constant monitoring from cardiac providers. Per the complaint, his AV block progressively worsened over time, yet his healthcare providers started him on metoprolol, a beta-blocker the lawsuit alleges is not appropriate for patients with serious AV block. The complaint claims a pacemaker was necessary before the drug could safely be used given the severity of his condition.

That allegation lines up with the drug's own federal labeling. Official FDA prescribing guidelines for metoprolol explicitly contraindicate its use in patients with second- or third-degree heart block, as well as significant first-degree block without a functioning pacemaker, warning that the drug slows electrical conduction and can trigger severe bradycardia or cardiac arrest, according to DailyMed. Clinical literature indexed by the National Institutes of Health similarly shows that administering the drug to patients with underlying conduction disorders can induce third-degree AV block, severe bradycardia, and sudden cardiac arrest, per PubMed Central.

Cardiac Arrest Cascaded Into Amputations

Williamson suffered cardiac arrest on May 15, 2025, according to the complaint, and the defendants were aware of his cardiac issues, diagnosis, and test results at that time, the lawsuit alleges. The cardiac arrest caused severe damage throughout his body, ultimately resulting in above-the-knee amputation of both of his legs, per the complaint. The event also caused serious complications in his arms that required fasciotomies on both sides, leaving him with severe loss of function.

The lawsuit further claims Williamson's injuries include a bowel injury requiring an ileostomy, renal failure, additional cardiac complications, phantom limb pain, and severe physical and emotional injuries. He continues to receive care and treatment for the trauma and complications stemming from the incident, per the complaint. The alleged diagnostic and treatment failures, according to the lawsuit, led directly to his cardiac arrest and the life-altering injuries that followed.

What the $534 Million Breaks Down To

The lawsuit seeks noneconomic damages not exceeding $500 million, according to the complaint, along with past medical expenses of approximately $2,716,202.90 and estimated future medical expenses of $30 million. It also requests past lost income of $85,000, estimated impaired earning capacity of $1 million, 5% prejudgment interest on economic losses, and costs and disbursements.

That nine-figure noneconomic damages request is possible in Oregon despite a statutory cap still sitting on the books. Oregon Revised Statute 31.710 maintains a $500,000 cap on non-economic damages, but the Oregon Supreme Court ruled in the 2020 case Busch v. McInnis Waste Systems that applying the cap to common-law personal injury claims is unconstitutional under the Oregon Constitution, according to ThatCarHitMe.com. That ruling restored full jury authority to award uncapped pain and suffering damages in personal injury lawsuits, which is what allows Williamson's filing to seek an amount far above the statutory figure.

Legal Hurdles Ahead in Multnomah County

Williamson's May 2025 cardiac arrest and his August 2026 filing fall within Oregon's statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims. Oregon Revised Statute 12.110(4) requires such lawsuits to be filed within two years from the date the injury was discovered or reasonably should have been discovered, subject to an absolute five-year statute of ultimate repose from the date of treatment, per the Oregon State Bar. Under Oregon Revised Statute 677.095, licensed physicians must exercise the degree of care, skill, and diligence used by ordinarily careful physicians in similar circumstances, and Williamson will need qualified expert medical testimony to establish both a breach of that duty and direct causation. A major procedural question looms over where this case will actually be heard. Standard Kaiser Permanente member health contracts typically include mandatory binding arbitration clauses requiring medical negligence claims to be resolved through private arbitration rather than court jury trials, according to Nolo. Whether Kaiser moves to compel arbitration or the case remains in open court in Multnomah County could shape how — and whether — a jury ever hears Williamson's claims.

If Kaiser's defense argues Williamson's underlying cardiac condition was already severe before treatment, Oregon law still offers the plaintiff a path to recovery. The Oregon Supreme Court established in the 2017 case Smith v. Providence Health & Services that losing a substantial chance of a better medical outcome due to negligent care is an actionable injury under Oregon common law, per Johnstun Injury Law. Because Oregon also enforces a modified comparative negligence standard and has eliminated joint and several liability, each named defendant — Kaiser Permanente and the individual physicians — could ultimately only be held liable for their specific percentage of fault, according to Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani.

Regulators Will Independently Review the Case

Filing the lawsuit also sets in motion an automatic regulatory process separate from the court case itself. Oregon Revised Statute 742.400 mandates that health maintenance organizations and medical malpractice insurers report all court claim notices and dispositions to the Oregon Medical Board, which independently evaluates whether Medical Practice Act violations occurred.

Williamson is represented by Marc A. Johnston of the Portland-based Johnston Law Firm, P.C., an attorney who focuses on complex catastrophic personal injury and medical negligence litigation in Oregon circuit courts. KATU reports that it has contacted Kaiser Permanente for a response to the lawsuit.

This is not the only high-dollar malpractice claim Kaiser Permanente has faced in the Portland area this year. In July, a Hillsboro patient sued Kaiser for $13 million, alleging catastrophic tissue damage after being injected with rubbing alcohol instead of a painkiller, in a case also filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court.