A jury ruled in favor of a hospital in Pottsville and a physician in a medical professional liability action brought by a Minersville couple after a three day trial in Schuylkill County court before Judge Charles M. Miller.

Joan (Joni) Kobige and her husband, Robert M. Kobige, of 229 Stadium St., brought the civil action against Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, Schuylkill Medical Center, and Dr. Haywood Blum, seeking damages in excess of $50,000 from each party, claiming they were careless and negligent in their care and treatment of Mrs. Kobige.On August 25, 2007, Mrs. Kobige came to the emergency room of the hospital complaining of severe abdominal pain along with diarrhea pain and claimed the medical treaters diagnosed her problem as constipation and released her later that evening. The next day she returned to the hospital in an ambulance with severe abdominal pain and vomiting and claimed the doctor performed an enema and released her.She claimed her condition continued to deteriorate. She claimed she developed an abdominal abscess which required hospitalization, surgical intervention, medical treatment, medication and other treatment.The jury was out less than two hours and ruled the hospital and doctor were not negligent and awarded no monetary damages.