A Cook County jury awarded a $51 million verdict to the estate of John Reinke, finding OSF Healthcare System and Dr. Fredrick Burke liable for failing to properly diagnose and treat a metabolic condition that led to a catastrophic cardiac arrest and anoxic brain injury after his 2022 emergency room discharge.
Attorneys at Smith LaCien LLC argued that basic testing, including blood glucose screening, would have identified severe undiagnosed diabetes and prevented the outcome.
The $51,015,445 verdict, reached after a two-and-a-half-week trial and four hours of deliberation, underscores the jury’s finding that deviations from the standard of care directly caused Mr. Reinke’s permanent, life-altering injuries.
Counsel for the Estate of John Reinke are Todd A. Smith, Jason R. Williams, and Andrew W. Mason of Smith Lacien, LLP.
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CHICAGO, IL (April 7, 2026) – On April 1, 2026, a Cook County jury returned a verdict of $51,015,445 against OSF Healthcare System and Dr. Fredrick Burke, Jr., M.D., after finding that a critical failure to identify and treat dangerously elevated blood glucose levels resulted in a preventable cardiac arrest and devastating anoxic brain injury. The jury deliberated for approximately four hours following a two-and-a-half-week trial. The case was tried before the Honorable Maura Slattery Boyle, with pre-trial proceedings overseen by the Honorable Kathy M. Flanagan. This is the third highest medical malpractice award for an adult patient in the state of Illinois.
At the center of the case was 47-year-old John Reinke, who presented to the emergency department at OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center on July 11, 2022, with a severe, worsening headache he described as unlike any he had ever experienced. Despite clear risk factors for metabolic disease—including obesity and a history of gout—no blood glucose testing was performed during his evaluation and the defendants failed to discover that John had developed and was suffering from diabetes.
Instead, Mr. Reinke was treated for pain and discharged with a diagnosis of a benign tension headache after imaging ruled out an acute neurological event. Critically, no effort was made to rule out metabolic causes of his symptoms—specifically, dangerously elevated blood sugar levels due to his undiagnosed diabetes.
Evidence at trial showed that Dr. Burke administered Dexamethasone, a steroid known to significantly increase blood glucose levels and potentially trigger diabetic ketoacidosis, without first obtaining even a basic blood glucose measurement. Plaintiffs argued that this omission was a profound deviation from the standard of care.
Within days of his discharge, Mr. Reinke was found unresponsive in his hotel room after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was later diagnosed at Carle Foundation Hospital with severe diabetic ketoacidosis, with a blood glucose level of 1367 and a hemoglobin A1C exceeding 14—levels indicating prolonged, uncontrolled diabetes that went entirely undetected during his emergency department visit.
Attorneys for the plaintiff emphasized that a simple, routine blood glucose test would have immediately revealed the life-threatening condition and led to prompt, life-saving treatment.
Diabetes is a disease that is commonly seen and commonly diagnosed for the first time in emergency rooms. Plaintiff’s counsel presented data from the United States Centers for Disease Control that approximately 40.1 million Americans or 12% of the total US population suffers from diabetes and that 27.6% of the diabetic population is undiagnosed.
“Dr. Burke failed to consider and test for a metabolic cause of Mr. Reinke’s symptoms,” said Todd A. Smith of Smith LaCien LLP. “A basic blood glucose test would have exposed a medical emergency in progress. Instead, that critical step was overlooked, with catastrophic consequences.”
Jason R. Williams added, “This was not a complex diagnosis—it required a simple, standard screening test. Given Mr. Reinke’s risk factors, failing to check his blood sugar before administering a steroid and discharging him was a clear violation of the standard of care.”
The jury heard testimony that millions of Americans are living with undiagnosed diabetes, making routine glucose screening a fundamental component of emergency medical evaluation—particularly before administering medications known to elevate blood sugar.
As a result of the untreated diabetic crisis, Mr. Reinke suffered a prolonged cardiac arrest leading to a severe anoxic brain injury. He remains unable to speak or walk, is dependent on a feeding tube, and requires around-the-clock care.
OSF Healthcare System and Dr. Burke denied all allegations of negligence.
Counsel for the Estate of John Reinke are Todd A. Smith, Jason R. Williams, and Andrew W. Mason of Smith LaCien LLP. Counsel for OSF Healthcare System are Daniel Slayden and Charles Egner of Lewis Brisbois. Counsel for Dr. Burke are Lynne Damsma, Patrick O’Connor, and Michael Fowler of Smith, Blake Hill, LLC.
Founded by Todd A. Smith and Brian LaCien, Smith LaCien is a leading Chicago personal injury law firm with a proven track record of exceptional results for clients, with more than $3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements and over 100 cases with results of at least $5 million.
The firm has been ranked by Chicago Lawyer as the number-one firm in mass tort litigation and most recently as a Top 5 plaintiffs injury law firm by Trial Lawyers LLP.
For a free consultation, contact Brian or any member of the Smith LaCien legal team at (312) 500-8295, complete the online contact form, or email info@smithlacien.com.
Smith LaCien LLP is located at 70 W. Madison, Suite 2250, Chicago, IL 60602.
Media Contact:
Erin Gourley
PressWell PR
erin@presswellpr.com / 646-357-2293
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