Jury Awards $3 Million After Botched Baby Delivery
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A Pilsen woman who says she wasn't given the option of having a C-section -- and whose son was injured during delivery -- has been awarded $3.27 million by a Cook County jury.
The verdict, reached Monday, settles a medical malpractice lawsuit brought by Maria Rodriguez and her husband, Gelacio Rodriguez, against Dr. Jennifer Friedman and the Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group.
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Rodriguez' lawsuit alleges that Friedman, who delivered Rodriguez' son Mateo in 2002, failed to inform the mom-to-be of the risk of proceeding with a vaginal delivery due to the large size of the fetus she was carrying. When Mateo's shoulder got stuck on Rodriguez' pelvic bone, Friedman made things worse by pulling too hard on Mateo's head and neck, causing injury to his right arm, the suit said.
Eight years and three surgeries later, Mateo, who was born weighing 11 pounds, 5 ounces, still does not have full function in his arm, Rodriguez family attorney Beth Kaveny said.
"The fact that became the most upsetting to my clients was Northwestern's denial of important medical information to them," Kaveny said. "It seemed like everybody knew what was going on and what the risks were except the parents."
Friedman did not return a call seeking comment. A Northwestern Hospital spokesman said the hospital does not comment on matters pertaining to litigation.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
