The plaintiff in this case was admitted to the hospital because she had gone into early labor and her baby was breached. The doctor overseeing the plaintiff did not immediately schedule a Cesarean section, instead ordering medication to prolong the labor and delivery. During this delay, the baby’s heart rate was weak, which the hospital’s nurses failed to monitor and communicate with the doctor. The plaintiff was scheduled for the C-section more than 11 hours after her admittance. Neither the anesthesiologist nor the neonatologist were notified until the time of her operation, creating further delays. As a result of these delays, the plaintiff was forced to undergo the C-section while awake, with only local anesthetic applied to the skin. The plaintiff’s baby was delivered with no heart rate and its umbilical cord wrapped around its neck. Although the child was resuscitated, it suffered hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (major permanent brain injury) and permanent respiratory injuries. The ensuing lawsuit against the hospital alleged negligence and failure to follow proper protocols in its care of both the plaintiff and child. The case was settled for $5.125 million.
Ratzan Weissman & Boldt have obtained more than $200 million in verdicts and settlements. Our firm is dedicated to honorable and unyielding representation of patients, consumers, and catastrophically injured individuals in state and federal courts. These cases are examples of the achievements of our firm’s attorneys. All are real cases. However, these examples should not be taken as a guarantee that the same results would be achieved in another case.