$2.25 Million Settlement for Failure to Prenatally Diagnose Facial Structural Abnormalities

The firm settled this failure in prenatal diagnosis claim on behalf of the mother and her infant daughter.

During her pregnancy in 2007/2008 the mother underwent an ultrasound known as a second trimester anatomical survey which was improperly read as normal. The defendant maternal fetal medicine specialist failed to appreciate abnormal anatomy on the mother’s prenatal ultrasound which would have led to further testing and a prenatal diagnosis of Treacher Collins Syndrome, a devastating craniofacial birth defect. Her daughter was born with multiple abnormalities including abnormal ear placement and deafness, micrognathia or extremely small jaw, cleft palate and other facial deformities. The child has undergone multiple corrective surgeries including tracheostomy and a feeding tube, and will require additional surgeries in the future. As a result of the defendants’ failures, the plaintiff was deprived of a prenatal diagnosis and choice to terminate the pregnancy.

The firm further assisted the mother after the settlement in obtaining an annuity and setting up a Special Needs Trust to help the mother pay for her daughter’s lifetime medical costs.