A Record Medical Malpractice Verdict Goes Against the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
By Harold Brubaker
A jury in Philadelphia awarded a record $182.7 million to a child who was born at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 with severe brain injuries. The lawsuit, filed by the child’s mother, argued that Penn doctors delayed performing a cesarean section despite knowing the mother had a uterine infection. The family’s attorney said the injury “was entirely avoidable.” The child, now 5, suffers from cerebral palsy, permanent brain damage, and significant neurodevelopmental delays and depends entirely on others for care. Penn plans to appeal the medical malpractice verdict, which is the largest in Pennsylvania history. The previous record was $100 million in 2000 in a case involving a botched surgical procedure that resulted in a child’s brain damage and arm amputation. If the verdict survives the appeal, Penn will purchase an annuity that would pay out an estimated $100 million – the estimated cost of care based on a projection that the child will live another 65 years – over time. The remainder of the award was for pain and suffering.
Read more on the Philadelphia Inquirer.