The Region : Jury Grants $800,000 for Medical Error

The family of a woman whose mental retardation and cerebral palsy were blamed on negligence by the doctors who delivered her 23 years ago has been awarded $800,000 in damages. After a seven-month trial, a San Bernardino County Superior Court jury found Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Fontana liable for the damages, but rejected claims by the family of Christi Bates that the hospital had tried to cover up its mistake. A medical expert had testified that doctors waited too long before performing a Caesarean section on Bates’ mother, Audrie, causing a detrimental loss of oxygen to the fetus. Mrs. Bates and her husband, Billy, said the award would not cover the costs of special education for their daughter, and that she would have to continue to depend on a government subsidy.