A Cook County jury hammered the University of Chicago Medical Center with a $14 million verdict over the tragic 2016 incident that left a newborn with severe brain damage and led to his death four years later. According to the Chicago Tribune, Oluwasemilore Praise Oyedapo's estate was awarded this hefty sum, placing the hospital squarely in the crosshairs for the life-altering errors surrounding his birth. The verdict, reached on March 8 after a grueling three-week trial, compensates for the loss of a normal life, disfigurement, and mental suffering among others.
Oluwasemilore was born after his mother, Omotola Oyedapo, was admitted to the University of Chicago Medical Center in July 2016 under drastically severe conditions, including weakness and considerable abdominal pain. Despite the dire nature of her symptoms, the lawsuit charged that the medical team failed to immediately consult an obstetrician or have labor and delivery personnel evaluate her, which devastatingly delayed her son's birth. The Chicago Business report states that this negligence led to the infant's profound depression at birth and a catastrophic hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
After more than half an hour of delivery being delayed, baby Oluwasemilore was thrust into a life of enduring quadriplegic cerebral palsy, blindness, and complete reliance on daily living, which remained until his death in December 2020. UChicago Medicine, not returning requests for comments, contested these allegations with their defense hinging largely on the claim that the damage had already occurred before Omotola Oyedapo arrived at their emergency room. However, according to the Chicago Business report, this was discredited by the plaintiff's legal team, who showed no indication of such an event prior to her admittance.
"The Oyedapo family has endured so much anguish and suffering over this horrific tragedy that could have been avoided if not for negligence," Lisa Weinstein, head of Grant & Eisenhofer's birth injury litigation practice, explained in a statement. The family's victorious battle culminated with this momentous verdict, bringing to a close a heart-wrenching chapter of their lives. Notably, the jury award includes multiple millions for pain and suffering, disfigurement, and medical care, and even covered funeral and burial expenses to the tune of $3,500, as stated by the Chicago Business.
