April 8, 2002 - $94.8 Million Medical Malpractice Verdict Awarded in New York

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A New York jury recently awarded $94.8 million to the mother of an eight-year-old boy who was the victim of medical malpractice. In June 1993, Milargros Jordan went into labor after only twenty-seven weeks of pregnancy. Upon her admittance to St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Brooklyn, Jordan was treated with tocolytic drugs, which help stop contractions. Two days later she returned with ruptured membranes. At this time, the doctors decided not to administer tocolytic drugs or corticosteroids, which help reduce the risk of a fetus developing respiratory distress and brain hemorrhage.

Jordan was transferred to Interfaith Medical Center where doctors also chose not to administer either type of drug.She gave birth days later to Jonathan Perez, who developed cerebral palsy due to a brain hemorrhage. Plaintiff experts testified that if the drugs had been administered to Jordan, the infant would likely not have developed the disorder.