Firm News & Events

APRIL 1, 2005

Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale Medical School Hit For Large Verdict For Failure To Properly Supervise Residents

On March 31, 2005, a jury in Middletown Superior Court returned a verdict for the plaintiff, Noreen Ranelli, for $1.2 million dollars against Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale Medical School for injuries arising from defendants’ failure to properly supervise a combined spinal-epidural administered to her in connection with the birth of her first child on March 22, 2000. With prejudgment interest, the verdict exceeds $1.6 million.

During a difficult labor at Yale, the Ranellis requested an attending anesthesiologist to administer an epidural. A younger doctor, who was a resident, came into the room. Mr. Ranelli asked whether he was the attending. He said no, but that he would go get his boss. A little while later defendant, Dr. Thomas Denker, came in and identified himself as “Dr. Tom, in charge of Noreen’s care.” He was in fact a junior resident, on only his fourth day of his rotation on the labor and delivery floor, who had done only a handful of combined spinal-epidurals. When he proceeded with the procedure, which requires sticking a six inch needle into the spinal column, Mrs. Ranelli’s legs began to convulse, she had terrible pain in her legs, and complained that she felt like she was being electrocuted. Dr. Denker said that was normal and the pain would subside once the medication kicked in. The jury found, among other things, that the Yale defendants failed to have a fully trained doctor present to supervise the resident and to correct a problem as it was occurring and limit damage that was being done. As a result, Mrs. Ranelli suffered permanent nerve injury and chronic pain in her lower right leg and foot from Denker’s insertion of the needle and failure to recognize the signs of trouble during the procedure.

Mrs. Ranelli’s attorney, David Slossberg, of the law firm of Hurwitz, Sagarin, Slossberg & Knuff, LLC , said about the verdict “This jury sent a message to Yale that it needs to reform its practices on the labor and delivery floor by spending the money necessary to properly staff the floor with fully trained doctors. It is simply unacceptable for an institution to place its patients at risk by permitting doctors in training to perform these types of intricate procedures without proper supervision.”

New Haven Register :: For more information

Contact:

David A. Slossberg
Hurwitz, Sagarin, Slossberg & Knuff, LLC LLC
147 N. Broad Street
Milford, CT 06460
203-877-8000