MADISON - ST. CLAIR RECORD

The same woman who sued a life insurance company for not paying her benefits following a man's death has also filed suit against two doctors, who she claims bear responsibility for the man's death.

Ronda Morris filed her medical malpractice lawsuit July 20 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Doctors Mounir Shenouda and Dhawesuk Tang.

Ronda Morris claims Raymond L. Morris came under Shenouda's care on April 19, 2007, after St. Elizabeth's Hospital admitted him.
On April 23, 2007, Shenouda released Raymond Morris from the hospital with a prescription for the pain medication Fentanyl.

However, before Shenouda prescribed the Fentanyl, Tang had already prescribed another pain medication, Vicodin, to Raymond Morris, according to the complaint.

The mixture of the two drugs proved toxic, killing Raymond Morris on April 26, 2007, the suit states.

In her complaint, Ronda Morris blames Shenouda and Tang for causing Raymond Morris' death, saying Shenouda negligently prescribed excessive amounts of narcotics to Raymond Morris and failed to consult a pain management specialist to determine the proper medications that should have been prescribed to Raymond Morris. In addition, Shenouda and Tang failed to turn the pain management care of Raymond Morris over to a pain management specialist and failed to consult with each other before prescribing the medication, the complaint says.

Because of Raymond Morris' death, Ronda Morris has lost his society, suffered grief and incurred funeral expenses, according to the complaint.

In her two-count complaint, Ronda Morris seeks a judgment of more than $100,000, plus costs.

In her second complaint filed July 23 in st. Clair County Circuit Court, Ronda Morris claims Hartford Life Insurance Company denied her benefits she should have received after Raymond Morris' death.

Terry N. Brown of Brown and Associates in Belleville will be representing Ronda Morris in each case.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 10-L-371.