Family Awarded Record $55M Settlement In Malpractice Suit Against Hopkins
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A record-setting verdict. Jurors award a Baltimore couple $55 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit against Johns Hopkins. They blame doctors for a child's cerebral palsy.
Adam May speaks to the family.
The couple's son has cerebral palsy, and jurors blame doctors at Johns Hopkins.
Two-year-old Enzo can't speak, walk or even sit up on his own.
In 2010, his mother tried giving birth at home with a midwife. When the baby got stuck, she rushed to Johns Hopkins. She then waited two hours for a C-section.
"They said they were waiting for blood tests, and I remember waiting and waiting and waiting and screaming 'Where are the blood tests?'" said Rebecca Fielding. "I just couldn't believe how long it took for me to have my C-section."
Fielding and her husband sued Hopkins after an expert, hired by their attorneys, concluded the delayed C-section deprived Enzo of oxygen, leading to cerebral palsy.
Now a jury has awarded them $55 million in a record-setting malpractice lawsuit.
"Urgent means urgent. The expert testimony was that the C-section should have been performed in 30-40 minutes, and the jury got it right," said Gary Wais, plaintiff attorney.
In a statement, Hopkins says: "While we certainly sympathize with Ms. Fielding's situation, we are frankly stunned and surprised that the jury found for the plaintiff in this case. We strongly deny the allegations and continue to firmly believe that the medical care provided to Ms. Fielding by Hopkins was entirely appropriate."
Enzo's parents disagree. They plan on using money from the settlement to pay for experimental medical treatments, hoping Enzo will someday do more than smile.
They also hope the verdict sends a message to the hospital.
"Whatever it is that went wrong, internally or in their minds, I hope it was a wake-up call and learning experience, and it never happens again," Fielding said.
Because of legal caps on damages, the family will end up with $30 million. Read more about the verdict here.
Attorneys for Johns Hopkins plan to appeal to jury's verdict.
