U.S. government must pay half of birth injury settlement

The United States government has been ordered to pay half of an $8 million medical malpractice settlement after a mother filed suit against the hospital where she gave birth. The order was made by a federal judge in a birth injury lawsuit. While this settlement involved a hospital in another state, similar medical malpractice issues occur in Louisiana as well.

A woman and her child were awarded a settlement for $8 million by a U.S. District Court judge on April 14. While the hospital is expected to pay $4 million of that amount, the government was found liable for the other half. The names of the child and his mother were withheld from the media report about the litigation.

The mother is said to have received medical care at the hospital under one of the facility’s obstetricians. She was 37 weeks pregnant and experiencing decreased movement of the baby. She was admitted to the hospital but despite her obvious need of immediate treatment, the woman had to wait three hours to see the doctor. She was given an emergency cesarean section soon after.

The baby was born with permanent medical issues such as visual impairment, global developmental delay, microcephaly, spasticity, seizure disorder and others. The parents originally asked for $100 million, and the hospital faced a potential judgment of $50 million in a jury trial. Because of this, the facility was willing to settle for $8 million.

Since the doctor was employed by a federally funded center that had a contract with the hospital, the court determined that the government must pay half of the settlement. Anyone in the state of Louisiana who has suffered from a birth injury due to hospital negligence or any other type of medical malpractice could benefit from speaking with a personal injury attorney. A lawyer can guide the client throughout the claims process in order to seek financial relief for medical bills, loss time from work, and other documented damages.

Source: pennrecord.com, “U.S. government ordered to pay half of Temple University Hospital’s $8 million birth injury lawsuit settlement“, Nicholas Malfitano, April 28, 2017