$1.05 Million Verdict in DeKalb Co. for Death of a Baby is Record Setting
A DeKalb jury returned the largest wrongful death award in county history at the time – $1.05 million – finding Mercy Center for Health Care Services of Aurora negligent in the death of a child. The mother, Meredith Lee, 39 weeks pregnant with the couple's first child, entered Mercy Center Hospital in early labor. The nurses applied a fetal monitor, which revealed the baby was not tolerating labor. For ninety minutes, baby's fetal heart rate pattern deteriorated and Dr. Mario Zapata was finally contacted. By the time the doctor arrived to do a Cesarean section, the baby's heart rate was pre-terminal. After his birth, baby was transferred to Lutheran General Hospital where tests revealed seizures, no brain activity, and no response to stimuli.