Eric J. Stockman is one of the top defense litigators in Connecticut. He has devoted the majority of his practice to defending doctors and hospitals in malpractice cases, though he handles litigation of all types. Attorney Stockman prepares his cases as if they are going on to trial and victory in an efficient and cost effective manner, all the while ensuring that the client’s interests in a fair resolution by any means – trial, arbitration, mediation, settlement — are kept paramount. He has tried approximately 50 cases to verdict with an almost perfect record of success.
Attorney Stockman’s history of success has been recognized by his peers locally, nationally, and internationally. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Each induction required a detailed analysis his practice skills, his ethics and civility, and his trial acumen by his opponents and the judges on his cases. Achieving this trifecta is one of the highlights of his career.
Attorney Stockman is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell. He has given dozens of lectures around the state on risk management, trial practice, and evidence issues. He is a golfer, a guitarist, and a proud and blessed husband and father.
Practice Areas
- Commercial Litigation
- General Litigation
- Healthcare Law and Litigation
- Professional Malpractice
- Medical Malpractice Litigation
Bar Admissions
- Connecticut, 1994
- U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, 1994
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of N.Y, 1998
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2002
Education
- University of Connecticut, B.A. 1990, English and Political Science
- Magna Cum Laude
- Distinction in Political Science
- Phi Beta Kappa
- University of Connecticut School of Law, 1994
- Honors
- Connecticut Law Review, Commentary Editor
- Phi Delta Phi, the Law School Honor Society, Vice President
Memberships
- International Academy of Trial Lawyers (2023)
- American College of Trial Lawyers (2020)
- American Board of Trial Attorneys (2009)
- Connecticut Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Honors & Accolades
- Connecticut Superlawyers, Medical Malpractice Defense, 2007-2023
- New England Superlawyers, Medical Malpractice Defense, 2007-2023
- Best Lawyers – Medical Malpractice Litigation, personal injury litigation, 2018-2023
Speaking Engagements
- Annual Presenter, American Conference Institute, Annual Advanced Forum on Obstetrical Malpractice Claims, 2014-2019
- More than a dozen seminars and presentations on evidence and trial tactics for the New Haven Bar Association and the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association
- More than 50 seminars and presentations on medical malpractice and risk management topics for various hospitals, insurance companies, and risk management companies
Representative Experience
- In February 2022, Attorney Stockman obtained a defense verdict in a three week trial involving allegations that his client failed to diagnose a movement disorder that allegedly resulted in the paralysis and advancement of dementia in an elderly patient.
- In July of 2021, in the first trial medical malpractice since the COVID shutdown began, Attorney Stockman prevailed in a two week case alleging negligence in evaluating a patient for medication side effects that allegedly resulted in a fall and subsequent paralysis.
- In March of 2019, Attorney Stockman prevailed in a jury trial involving the claim that a patient’s vocal chords were paralyzed after a total thyroidectomy. After a two weeks of evidence, the jury returned a defense verdict in 15 minutes.
- In August of 2018, after three weeks of evidence in a hotly contested case, Attorney Stockman prevailed in a trial involving the claim that a cardiologist at a local hospital ignored a patient’s complaints of dizziness and chest pain prior to shoulder surgery, resulting in an MI during the procedure. Plaintiffs claimed $5 million in damages during closing argument. The jury found for the defense on all counts.
- In June 2017, Attorney Stockman won a defense verdict in apparent agency case, one of the first tried in Connecticut after the landmark case of Cefaratti v. Aranow, where the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that a hospital may be liable for the conduct of a non-employee. Attorney Stockman proved that none of the Cefaratti factors were met and won a “directed verdict” from the judge, who decided as a matter of law that the defense should prevail.
- In February 2017, Attorney Stockman won a defense verdict in a birth injury/wrongful death suit. Plaintiff alleged that his clients, three neonatologists and their practice group, negligently failed to diagnose the child’s aortic coarctation, a congenital narrowing of the aorta. In opening statements, plaintiff’s counsel demanded $18.5 million from the jury. After a four week trial, the jury rendered a defense verdict in just over 3 hours.
- In November 2016, Attorney Stockman won a defense verdict in a case where plaintiff claimed that she was prematurely advised by her maternal fetal medicine specialist to terminate her pregnancy due to abnormal genetic testing. After termination of the pregnancy, the lab revealed an error in their quality control processes, invalidating the test results. Unfortunately, subsequent test results determined that the fetus did not have any genetic abnormality. After a three week trial, the jury found for Attorney Stockman’s client.
- In December 2014, he won a defense verdict on behalf of a local cardiologist for the alleged failure to timely treat endocarditis in a 44-year-old, resulting in the patient’s death.
- In January 2013, he achieved a defense verdict after more than a month of evidence, during which plaintiffs asked for $5 million dollars for the alleged failure to monitor a certified nurse assistant who assaulted a patient.
- In May 2011, Attorney Stockman obtained a defense verdict for a local hospital for its alleged failure to prevent the theft of an epidural pump that was attached to a patient in labor in the maternity ward.
- In April 2010, after a week-long trial defending a local hospital and paramedic for allegedly misplacing an IV, leading to arm paralysis, he won a defense verdict in 7 minutes.
- In March 2009, he obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a local hospital, its nurses and psychiatrists in a wrongful death claim seeking millions in damages when a 17-year-old leaped from the back of an ambulance to his death.
- In March 2008, after a four-month trial, he successfully defended the highly publicized Oram v. Decholnoky case, a birth injury claim that resulted in a defense verdict for his client and Connecticut record judgment of $38.5 million against the co-defendant.
- Attorney Stockman also handles appellate work, and has briefed and/or argued cases before the Connecticut Supreme and Appellate Courts, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Representative decisions include DiTeresi v. Stamford Health Systems, 149 Conn.App. 502 (2014); DiTeresi v. Stamford Health Systems,742 Conn. App. 72 (2013); Grey v. Stamford Health Systems, Inc., 282 Conn. 745 (2007); Zeilinski v. Kotsoris, 279 Conn. 312 (2006); Doe v. Christoforo, 87 Conn. App. 359 (2005); Law v. Camp, 116 F. Supp. 2d295 (D. Conn. 2000), aff’d, Law v. Camp, 15 Fed. Appx. 24, (2d Cir. 2001), cert. denied, Law v. Camp, 534 U.S. 1162 (2002); and Treglia v. Zanesky, 67 Conn. App.447 (2001).
Community Involvement
- Lakewood-Trumbull YMCA Board of Directors, 1994-2002, Chairman 1998-2000
- Monroe Town Council, 1998-2002, Vice Chairman
- Monroe Educational Association, 2010-2014