[Ed. note: The piece was updated after press to note an update in the case.]
SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — As we wind down 2025, Port City Daily is counting down the top 10 stories most read this year, as assessed by analytics and how many times readers clicked the page.
Coming in tenth is Brenna Flanagan’s January coverage of a local physician and Congressional candidate filing a lawsuit against multiple health agencies and people in regard to her father’s death.
Kyle Horton — Wilmington resident, internal medicine physician and former candidate for the House of Representatives — is suing Novant Health, Atlantic Brain and Spine, Physician Assistant Chase Whelan and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Jeffrey Beecher. The lawsuit was filed Feb. 28, 2024, nearly two years after her father, Sam Horton Jr., died while in the defendants’ care.
It states Sam Horton died after a “series of shockingly negligent medical actions and inactions at NHRMC that led to his downfall and ultimate demise.”
At the original press date, the case was in a pre-trial phase, with a tentative court date for April 27, 2026. However, on July 18, 2025, the case was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, according to updated eCourts documents.
Read the full piece below.
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