A Connecticut medical malpractice jury returned its verdict in the amount of $22,857,143 ($20,057,143 for noneconomic damages and $2.8 million for economic damages) in favor of the estate of a 38-year-old woman who had preeclampsia and died in 2017 while giving birth to twins. The jury found that anesthesiologist Maria Mazzeo, M.D. and Stamford Anesthesiology breached the standard of care in the medical services they provided to Maura Gallagher, and that the breach was the cause of her death.
The woman was 38 weeks pregnant when she went to Stamford Hospital on May 8, 2017 for a Cesarean delivery after she had experienced feeling sick for two days. She allegedly complained of some difficulty breathing, feeling sick, and she had a low platelet count (98,000) on May 5, 2017. Her platelet count was found to be even lower twenty minutes after she was admitted to the hospital, which the plaintiff alleged confirmed the presence of thrombocytopenia. She was determined to have new onset hypertension fifteen minutes later. An order was placed for preeclampsia testing but the doctors did not wait for the results of the testing before performing the C-section.
During the C-section, the medical team failed to timely and appropriately respond to her medical condition, according to the Connecticut medical malpractice complaint. The twins were delivered healthy, but the mother suffered increased blood pressure and suffered a brain bleed afterwards. Her condition was determined to be irreversible four hours after the C-section.
The plaintiff reportedly extended an offer of compromise in 2020 to Stamford Hospital to settle the case for an $8 million, but the hospital did not respond to the offer of compromise.
The Connecticut medical malpractice jury determined that Dr. Mazzeo was liable for 35% of the damages, and OBGYN Dr. Astrid Hoffmann-Olsen and Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates were 65% liable. However, Dr. Hoffmann-Olsen and Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates had settled the claims against them before trial and therefore will not be responsible for the amount awarded by the jury.
A spokesperson for Stamford Hospital issued the following statement after the verdict: “Stamford Health is very sorry for the Gallagher family’s loss, and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to them. We are of course disappointed with the jury’s verdict which we feel is entirely inconsistent with the evidence. We still believe that there is absolutely no basis for any claim that Stamford Hospital, nor any of its physicians, failed to provide appropriate care. Providing high-quality care is our top priority and we continue to uphold that commitment.”
If you or your child may have been injured during pregnancy, labor, or delivery as a result of medical malpractice in Connecticut or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find a Connecticut medical malpractice lawyer, or a medical malpractice lawyer in your state, who may investigate your birth injury medical malpractice claim for you and represent you and/or your child in a birth injury medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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