$1.8 Million Settlement for Delayed Treatment of Meningitis

Several weeks after the birth of an infant girl in 1993, her parents noticed she was running a fever, not eating, was irritable, and whining. The infant’s pediatrician advised the parents on the telephone that there was no significance to the signs they reported. A few hours later the parents again called to report that the infant’s condition was worsening.

This time the doctor told the parents to bring her to a nearby hospital for testing. However, once at the hospital, there was a delay in giving the baby a spinal tap , which would have revealed meningitis. There was further delay in administering the antibiotics that could have prevented permanent injury. As a result, the child became hemiplegic and visually impaired.

Blume, Goldfaden’s John Blume settled the claim against the pediatrician for $1,000,000, the full amount of his insurance coverage. He settled the claim against the hospital and its residents for an additional $800,000.