Illinois Family Awarded $29.1M in Lawsuit Against U.S. Government

Attorneys say a Lake County, Ill., family has won a $29.1 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit brought against the federal government.

The verdict benefits Christian Arroyo of Gurnee, a 6-year-old boy who suffered brain damage at birth and now is a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. He was delivered in May 2003 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

The family’s attorney, David Pritchard, says the lawsuit was brought in federal court against the U.S. government because the doctors in the case worked for a federally funded clinic.

The case was filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows people to sue the federal government but requires a bench trial without a jury.

U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve handed down the verdict on April 2.

Information from: Daily Herald