Biography
Rodney Sharp is a shareholder of Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard. He has been a shareholder of the firm for over fifteen years. Prior to joining the firm, he was Clerk to The Honorable A.G. Weber, III, Appellate Court of Illinois, Fourth District from 1985-1986 and worked at a defense firm in Belleville, Illinois for two years before joining Sandberg Phoenix in 1989.
Although Rodney focuses his practice on the defense of physicians, hospitals and other health care providers, he has also tried premises liability, products liability and commercial cases. From 2000 to 2004, Rodney served as the head of the firm's Health Law Practice Group. Rodney was named to the 2005 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers in the Medical Malpractice area. He regularly serves as an arbitrator for the St. Clair County Court System.
A sampling of Rodney's litigation experience in defending health care providers includes:
Sturm v. Counselor. Rodney represented an alcohol abuse counselor accused of negligently removing a patient from psychiatric medications prescribed for her. The patient claimed to have experienced a psychotic episode requiring hospitalization and other damages as result. After a 5-day trial, a St. Louis County jury returned a verdict in favor of Rodney's client.
Juang v. Physician and Hospital. Rodney obtained a defense verdict for a St. Louis hospital and physician in a case alleging failure to diagnose appendicitis, which resulted in multiple hospitalizations for removal of the appendix, a bowel resection and a bowl obstruction. The plaintiff, a Washington University law student, was required to miss a semester of school and accumulated $120,000 of medical bills and lost tuition. A St. Louis County jury returned a verdict in favor of all defendants.
Branson v. Physician. Rodney represented a neurologist in this wrongful death case tried in St. Clair, Illinois. Following a two week trial, Rodney's client received a defense verdict.
Brown v. Physician. Rodney represented an emergency room physician who was accused of failing to diagnose a lacerated tendon in the hand which required several surgical procedures to correct. The case was tried to a defense verdict.
Crook v. Physician. Rodney represented a pulmonologist who was accused of failing to properly treat a patient who developed ARDS after falling from a roof and eventually died. Following an 11-day trial in St. Clair County, Illinois, the jury returned a verdict against the co-defendant, but in favor of Rodney's client.
Hunt v. Physician. Rodney represented a physician who was accused of improperly treating a puncture wound in a 10 year old boy's foot. The child subsequently developed osteomyelitis. The court directed a verdict in favor of the physician at the close of all the evidence.
Heinz v. Hospital. Rodney represented a wound care nurse charged with primary responsibility for following a Madison County, Illinois man's surgical wounds. Despite the development of an infection, which resulted in the fusion of both of the patient's knees, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the nurse.
Mandrell v. Physician. Rodney represented an urologist who was accused of failure to properly perform a vasectomy which resulted in the conception of a child with severe and rare congenital defects. The case was tried to a defense verdict in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
Meury v. Hospital. Rodney represented a hospital and its employed obstetrician, anesthesiologist, and anesthetist in this case. The plaintiff was a woman who became permanently paralyzed after a cesarean section in which epidural anesthesia was administered. Although the jury could not reach a verdict at the conclusion of a lengthy trial, the matter was favorably settled shortly afterwards.
Kiersey v. Physician. Rodney tried to verdict this case in which it was claimed that his client, an orthopedic surgeon, negligently performed a hip replacement on his patient. X-rays showed that the acetabulum had been placed at a 75 degree angle rather than the customary 45 degree angle resulting in a subsequent dislocation of the hip. Rodney was able to convince the court to exclude much of the plaintiff's damage evidence. As a result, the jury returned a verdict for $100,000, less than twice the medical expenses and far less than the amount being sought by the plaintiff's attorney.
Practice Groups
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Health Law
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Products Liability
Industries/Areas of Practice
- Physicians
- Hospitals
- Product Manufacturers
- Landowners
Professional Activities
Rodney is admitted to practice law in Missouri and Illinois, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and The United States District Court for the Eighth Circuit.
He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, the Defense Research Institute and the St. Clair County Bar Association.
Rodney also oversees the firm's pro bono activities. He has been a recipient of the Volunteer Lawyer of the Year Award given annually by Legal Services of Eastern Missouri.
Education
Rodney received his Juris Doctor,
cum laude, from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale in 1985.
He received his B.A., with honors, from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale in 1982.