Hahnemann University Hospital has agreed to a $32 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed the hospital’s negligence caused severe birth injuries to her son. The settlement was announced by the mother’s law firm, Kline and Specter, last week.
Key Takeaways
- Hahnemann University Hospital will pay $32 million to settle a birth injury lawsuit.
- The lawsuit was filed by Chastity Fabrizio, whose son was severely injured during birth in 2014.
- The child, now 9 years old, suffers from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and is a quadriplegic.
- The hospital denied any negligence but settled the case before it went to trial.
- The settlement follows other significant medical malpractice verdicts in Philadelphia.
Background of the Case
In 2014, Chastity Fabrizio arrived at Hahnemann University Hospital in her 39th week of pregnancy, reporting that she could not feel her baby move. According to her lawsuit, the doctors failed to recognize signs of low blood oxygen in the fetus. Instead of performing an immediate C-section, they attempted to induce labor.
After more than 10 hours, a C-section was finally performed, but the baby had to be revived with CPR upon delivery. The child was later diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a brain injury caused by insufficient oxygen to the brain.
Legal Proceedings
Hahnemann University Hospital denied any negligence on the part of its doctors. However, the lawsuit was settled in January before going to trial. Despite the hospital’s closure in 2019, it had sufficient insurance to cover the settlement, according to Priscilla Jimenez, one of Fabrizio’s lawyers. Drexel University, which used Hahnemann as its teaching hospital and was also named in the suit, did not comment on the settlement.
Impact on the Family
Fabrizio’s child, now a 9-year-old quadriplegic, requires a feeding tube and has severe communication impairments. The legal team expressed that the settlement would ensure the child receives the best care and opportunities available for the rest of his life.
Broader Context
The settlement comes amid other significant medical malpractice cases in Philadelphia. In April, a jury awarded $183 million to a child born with severe brain injuries at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The child’s mother had also alleged delayed emergency C-section. This verdict was the largest on record in Pennsylvania.
In February, another jury awarded $43.5 million to a former Philadelphia Eagles captain after concluding that doctors, including some at the Rothman Orthopedic Institute, had been negligent in treating his knee injury, ending his football career.
These cases highlight a trend of substantial medical malpractice verdicts in Philadelphia, following changes in Pennsylvania’s court location rules.