AUBURN — A Minot woman and her husband were awarded nearly $10 million in damages Tuesday when a jury agreed that a Central Maine Medical Center technician failed to properly read a pathology slide that would have led to a diagnosis of cervical cancer.

The decision was announced Tuesday afternoon in Androscoggin County Superior Court.

According to court records, Ruth Hricko, 63, had sued CMMC for medical malpractice in 2013. In her suit, Hricko charged that the hospital employed her gynecologist as well as a hospital technician who failed to read the slide correctly. The doctor was later dismissed as a defendant.

In her suit, Hricko claimed that she went in for exams between 2008 and 2011. Although she complained of pain and the doctor found abnormalities, the cervical cancer with which she suffered was not diagnosed until she went to see another physician, according to court records.

According to the complaint, Hricko had been suffering from cervical cancer since 2008. Portland attorney Owen Pickus, representing Hricko in the suit, argued that the technician failed to correctly read three pap smear slides, which resulted in the delayed diagnoses.

The jury agreed, awarding Hricko $7.65 million and her husband $2 million in damages.

According to court reports, Hricko’s cancer progressed to stage 3 before it was diagnosed. Stage 3 generally means the cancer has spread. Hricko is now free of cancer.

According to Pickus, she has suffered permanent disfiguring injuries as a result of her cancer treatment and is being treated for chronic pain. He said the jury’s decision to award damages was based on a belief her injuries may have been avoided had she had an earlier cancer diagnosis.

In a statement following the verdict, CMMC Vice President of Public Affairs Chuck Gill said he was “disheartened” by the jury’s decision. He said Hricko continues to receive treatment at the hospital.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to note that the plaintiff’s gynecologist was dismissed as a defendant before trial started.