Confidential
Settlement – $1,800,000Mediator
Court
San Bernardino Superior
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Cornelius P. Bahan
(Law Offices of Cornelius P. Bahan, APC)
Defendant
Facts
The mother was pregnant with twins and in her fifth month of pregnancy. She awoke in the middle of the night in a pool of blood and was transported via ambulance to defendant medical center at approximately 3 a.m. The ambulance ER technician reported a loss of between 900-1000 cc of blood in bed and, accordingly, the patient was brought to the nearest hospital. A sonogram was performed showing twin gestation of approximately 32 weeks. At that point, defendant OB/GYN assumed the care. He immediately ran a hemoglobin count which was extremely low (8.6). At 4:15 a.m., two units of Hespan were ordered, and at 5:10 a.m. Tributalin was administered. During this time, Twin B was noted to have suffered fetal distress on the fetal monitoring strip. An emergency cesarin section was performed at 7:22 a.m. Twin B was flaccid and depressed at birth and required resuscitation with Apgar score of 5-6. Both twins were transported to another medical facility for continued care. Unfortunately, the mother's blood loss continued intra-abdominally and was never adequately caught up (estimated blood loss at approximately 12000 cc) resulting in her death at 2:40 a.m. The plaintiffs, the decedent's husband and five children, brought this action against the defendant medical center based on medical malpractice.
Settlement Discussions
The plaintiffs made a settlement demand for $2.5 million.
Injuries
Wrongful death of a 35-year-old wife and mother and severe brain damage to Twin B.
Other Information
The settlement was reached approximately two years and 10 months after the case was filed. A mediation was held on December 1998, before Hon. Robert Rickles, retired, of JAMS resulting in the reported settlement.
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