Supervisors Settle Four Malpractice Lawsuits

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved spending $2.7 million to settle four medical malpractice lawsuits which allege that mishaps in county hospitals led to two children being born mentally disabled, a 1-year-old girl losing her right hand and a 14-year-old girl undergoing unnecessary surgery on her spinal cord with a minimal anesthesia, resulting in her crying out in pain during the procedure.

Medical malpractice claims have long dogged the county and troubled supervisors, who earlier this year instituted new procedures in hopes of lessening such cases. The four cases settled Tuesday all occurred before the reforms.

Medical malpractice cases cost the county $23 million last year, according to county documents.

The first case centered on the treatment of Jocelyn Avila Hernandez, born prematurely and weighing about 1 pound when she was whisked to the neonatal intensive care unit at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center.

Because of infection and other problems that may have led to the amputation of her right leg, blindness and mental retardation, county attorneys wrote that her treatment “fell below the standards of care.” The case was settled for $1.5 million.

In another case involving a newborn, Lucy Pinzon was delivered vaginally rather than by caesarean section because medical staff at County-USC miscalculated the size of the fetus. The case was settled for $475,000.

Supervisors authorized a payment of $562,000 to the family of a 1-year-old girl who lost her right hand because of a catheter. Then they approved $215,000 for Guadalupe Cervantes, 14, who county documents said underwent unneeded spinal surgery.