Verdict: $9,697,000
Offer:  $200,00

The plaintiff's mother was a member of Chicago HMO when she became pregnant. During the pregnancy, the mother developed gestational diabetes, a common complication, which went untreated by the defendant obstetrician who settled out for $2,000,000 policy limits. When plaintiff's mother was admitted to the hospital, the baby was in fetal distress and, despite an emergency cesarean section, he was born brain damaged.

Plaintiff's attorney Kurt Lloyd successfully argued that the defendant primary care physician was required to review and approve the defendant obstetrician's care plan under the HMO guidelines. Despite receiving copies of abnormally elevated blood sugar test results without fetal monitoring or insulin treatment, the defendant primary care physician did not discuss the patient's condition with the defendant obstetrician.

This case represents the first Illinois jury verdict to hold the primary care physician responsible for the overall care of an obstetrical patient.

Thomas, a minor v. Antony, M.D.