Dauphin County (Pa) Common Pleas Court
A 15-year-old girl with no history of prenatal care and no diagnosis of pregnancy presented to the hospital complaining of abdominal pain. The girl gave birth 3 hours later; 27 hours later the infant had a seizure. The infant was later diagnosed with severe brain damage and microcephaly and now has an IQ of 55.
In suing, the mother claimed fetal heart rate monitoring strips showed severe decelerations prior to delivery and that the physician failed to expedite delivery.
- A defense verdict was returned.