A Philadelphia jury has awarded $4.1 million to the family of a boy who was disfigured and partially blinded as a result of an allegedly botched eye surgery.

According to the plaintiffs' attorney, Joseph Messa of Messa & Associates, the verdict is a gratifying result for his client, and also more generally significant for litigators in that it may help quell fears some plaintiffs attorneys may have about whether post-pandemic juries will be willing to award large verdicts against health care providers, who have enjoyed soaring public opinion for their work fighting against the COVID-19 virus.

"There's been a lot of thought and concern amongst the trial bar about how are juries going to think about doctors and hospitals," Messa said. "I'm not as concerned about it as I was before."