Retired businessman Quentin Jones died in October 2004 after gastrointestinal surgery at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. His family sued, saying Jones was left in the hands of physicians still in training who failed to detect the condition that caused his death.

Carilion Medical Center has settled with Jones' family for $1 million, according to documents filed this week. The terms of the settlement are public, which is rare in civil cases.

S.D. Roberts Moore, an attorney for Jones' estate, said Jones' family would only agree to mediate with Carilion if there was no confidentiality to the settlement agreement. The family's whole motive in pursuing the case "was to hopefully keep this series of events which happened to Mr. Jones from happening to anybody else," Moore said.

"This wasn't about money," said Denise Swanson, one of Jones' daughters. "It was about trying to change the poor quality of care."

Rather than denying liability, Carilion Medical Center has accepted responsibility for Jones' death, Moore said.

Eric Earnhart, spokesman for Carilion, said that Carilion agreed to terms of a settlement but declined to comment further.

According to the events detailed in the suit, Jones went to Roanoke Memorial on Oct. 5, 2004, for operations to be performed by Dr. John Hagy Jr., a surgeon with an office at Carilion Surgical Care on Brambleton Avenue.

Hagy and Dr. George Min performed the surgery to remove Jones' gallbladder and part of his intestine. As Jones recuperated in the surgical intensive care unit, Hagy went out of town, leaving his patient in the care of residents he supervised.

Jones' condition began to deteriorate, and sometime during the night of Oct. 10, 2004, he breathed in some of his own vomit. He was pronounced dead at 3:45 a.m. Oct. 11, 2004. He vomited because of a blockage in his intestines caused by the surgery, according the lawsuit.

The suit, which originally demanded $2.5 million, was filed by the executors of Jones' estate: Roanoke County Circuit Court Judge James Swanson, husband of Denise Swanson; and Sharon Call, Jones' other daughter. Because of Judge Swanson's involvement, a judge from Bristol was appointed to preside over the case.

Hagy, Min, the residents under Hagy's supervision, Carilion Medical Center and Carilion Healthcare Corp. were named as defendants in the suit. Last month, all defendants except Carilion Medical Center were dropped from the lawsuit.