An Augusta hospital and a doctor will have to pay nearly $3.6 million to settle a medical malpractice case filed by an ex-Army soldier after her baby boy suffered fetal brain damage.
This amount includes in excess of $1.4 million in attorney fees and over $150,000 in legal expenses. A similar sum is likely to come from a separate settlement with the US Government which is a co-defendant. That settlement has not yet been filed.
Court filings show that the woman, Sherecia Willis, was stationed at Fort Gordon in 2016. She gave birth to a son who is identified as “C.W.” in court documents.
The boy was found to have suffered fetal injuries that led to decreased oxygen and blood flow before delivery at Augusta’s Trinity Hospital. Willis claimed that the medical staff failed to realize the baby was in distress. The injuries led to extensive and permanent brain damage.
Trinity was contracted by the government to deliver medical care to service personnel.
The suit was brought against the hospital, Dr. Venkatesan Gorantla, and Augusta Physician Services.
Willis and her son sued the United States and the other defendants in the Southern District in 2017. The settlement was reached in September after mediation before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian Epps.
Both sides had asked to keep the amount confidential. However, Chief Judge R. Randal Hall said sensitive information about the case had already been made public and neither party had sought to seal those documents.
He insisted that the parties provide unredacted settlement documents for his approval or they could withdraw from the agreement.
The details were made public on January 13.
If you believe you or a loved one was a victim of medical malpractice, seek advice from a Georgia medical malpractice lawyer. You may be entitled to compensation.
Source: https://www.law.com/dailyreportonline/2020/01/13/augusta-hospital-settles-army-moms-fetal-injury-suit-for-3-5m/
