Bimla Nayyar was admitted to Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, Mich., to correct a minor problem with her jaw. Two months later she was dead, the apparent victim of a wrong-patient mix-up that landed her in the OR for brain surgery she didn't need.

Ms. Nayyar was 81 years old when she was hospitalized in January 2012 for treatment of a dislocated temporomandibular joint, according to Geoffrey Fieger, her family's attorney. However, the hospital allegedly mistook another patient's CT scan for Ms. Nayyar's and scheduled her for urgent surgery to repair bleeding in the brain. During the procedure, the surgical team drilled 5 holes and removed the right side of her skull before realizing there was nothing wrong, according to Mr. Fieger.

He accuses the hospital of not informing Ms. Nayyar's family of the wrong-patient error and failing to inform the state health department of the mistake in an attempt to cover up the incident.

Mr. Fieger says the hospital originally denied any wrongdoing, but admitted during the recent malpractice trial to operating on the wrong patient. The hospital stopped short of saying its actions harmed Ms. Nayyar, according to Mr. Fieger.

Oakwood's lawyer could not be reached for comment. A hospital spokeswoman did not comment on the jury's decision, but released a statement that says the hospital is "concerned" with how details of the case have been portrayed and plans to appeal the verdict.

Daniel Cook