Jeanne Browne, a midwife from Concord, Massachusetts, settled a $730,000 lawsuit with a family whose child suffered a severe brain injury during a birth that Browne supervised. According to the Concord Monitor, Sarah and Jonathan Sadowski’s daughter remained in the hospital for 21 days following her birth in January 2009, and she now has cerebral palsy. Browne surrendered her license after her investigation by the state Midwifery Council last June. Several hospitals in the area filed complaints about Browne’s failure to consult with obstetricians about high-risk pregnancies, though Browne stated that she stood by her decisions.
The Sadowskis also stated that Browne did not manage their pregnancy appropriately, since Sarah Sadowski had several risk factors and the midwife did not refer her to an obstetrician. In addition, Browne did not send Sadowski to the hospital when she could not find the baby’s heartbeat during labor or after the baby’s birth. The child’s father stated that he repeatedly suggested calling an ambulance, but the midwife delayed this contact.
From the money received in the settlement, $386,000 will be placed in a trust for the child, in order to cover the costs of medical care that will inevitably continue when the child becomes an adult.
Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP–cerebral palsy lawyer
