Dekalb County Wrongful Death Case Settled For $1,000,000
In one of the largest settlements for a wrongful death case in DeKalb County history, Abdul and Sadaf Razzak this afternoon settled their medical malpractice case against a doctor and the DeKalb Clinic in the death of their infant daughter.
The law firm of Corboy & Demetrio represented the family. Last year, the firm received the highest verdict in a wrongful death case in DeKalb County history, a $1,050,000 judgement in Maurer v. Mercy Center for Health Care Services.
On March 2, 1999 the Razzaks were expecting their first child. Ms. Razzak, then 20 years old, went Kishwaukee Community Hospital where Dr. Jennifer McCormick was to deliver the baby. During labor, Dr. McCormick used forceps and the child was born March 3, 1999 at 6:41 a.m. After her birth, the family was told that the child was in trouble. Officials at the hospital told the Razzaks that the child, a baby girl, was going to be transferred to Rockford Memorial Hospital. Prior to the transfer, however, she died.
The coroner told the family that the child died, three hours after birth, from an intracerebral hemorrhage caused by a fractured skull caused by force of application. The Razzaks had planned to name the child Rameen.
The allegations in the case centered around the use of the forceps by Dr. McCormick. The doctor, who did not have cesarian section privileges at the hospital, also did not have a back-up physician on duty to perform a c-section. The result was that McCormick had to deliver the baby using forceps, a procedure that caused the child's death.
At the time of the incident, Abdul Razzak was employed as a consultant, a mechanical designer, for Caterpillar. Since then the family has moved to Michigan.
The attorney for the defendants was Edward Melia of Hickey, Melia, Kurfirst & Patterson in Chicago. The case was: Abdul Razzak, Personal Representative of the Estate of Rameen Razzak, deceased v. Jennifer McCormick, MD and DeKalb Clinic, Chartered.
