Jury Awards $78.5M in C-Section Suit in Pennsylvania

A federal jury has ordered a suburban Philadelphia, Pa., hospital to pay $78.5 million in a lawsuit over an emergency cesarean section.

Attorneys for Victoria Upsey say her son, who is now 3, suffered brain damage because of an 81-minute delay in the C-section procedure at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center in August 2008.

Attorney Daniel Weinstock says the delivery was delayed because the obstetrician thought the baby was dead. He says the doctor negligently performed an ultrasound examination using “outdated, insensitive and poorly maintained equipment provided to him by the hospital.”

Hospital officials tell WFMZ-TV they’re disappointed with the verdict and plan to appeal.