Justia Lawyer Rating for Robert D. Kreisman

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At 31 weeks gestation, Linnoska Correa had a prenatal visit with obstetrician Dr. Luis Pardo Toro. Correa’s blood pressure during the visit was 136/86 mm Hg, which was appreciably higher than other blood pressure readings during her pregnancy.

The next day, Correa complained of severe stomach pain. She was admitted to the hospital HIMA-San Pablo in Puerto Rico where she was diagnosed as having severe preeclampsia. She was given antibiotics and magnesium sulfate.

Two days later, Correa’s daughter was delivered by cesarean section. The Apgar scores at the time of delivery were 7 at one minute and 8 at five minutes. Correa’s daughter, who is now 8, suffers from severe neurological injuries and quadriplegia, which necessitates 24-hour care daily.
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On Dec. 16, 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court answered a certified question about whether a doctor who injured a fetus can be sued for wrongful death if the patient later consented to an abortion given the condition of the unborn fetus.

Thomas and Mitchell sued two doctors, Drs. Khoury and Kagan, for the wrongful death of their unborn child. The plaintiffs alleged that the doctors committed malpractice, which injured the fetus. This action later resulted in the plaintiffs agreeing to an abortion.

The trial court submitted a certified question to the Illinois Appellate Court asking whether the Illinois Wrongful Death Act bars the plaintiffs’ lawsuit.
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Doe was born prematurely and underwent surgery. He was prescribed home oxygen therapy in anticipation of his discharge. While still hospitalized, Doe kicked his pulse oximeter off of his foot, prompting an alarm.

A respiratory therapist allegedly adjusted Doe’s nasal mask and repositioned him. Less than an hour later, a desaturation alarm sounded. A clinical assistant at the hospital allegedly silenced the alarm and subsequent alarms while providing care over the next 26 minutes.

Doe became cool to the touch. The clinical assistant allegedly attempted to auscultate a heartbeat. Unable to revive the heartbeat, the clinical assistant called for nursing assistance. When a nurse arrived, Doe was limp and unresponsive.
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Ms. Doe, 30, had a history of cesarean section, stillbirth and miscarriage. When she became pregnant again, she consulted with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. A plan was put in place for a cesarean delivery at 39 weeks gestation.

During the 37th week of Ms. Doe’s pregnancy, she went to a hospital emergency room complaining of nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Although she was sent home, her pain persisted. Ms. Doe was admitted to the hospital two nights later.

The hospital’s hospitalist placed Ms. Doe on a fetal monitor, which changed from normal to indeterminate over a relatively short time span. Ms. Doe’s abdominal pain worsened, but she was discharged with instructions to follow up with her treating obstetrician in the morning.
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Jean-Marie Monroe-Lynch and her husband Aaron Lynch were unable to conceive. Monroe-Lynch received therapeutic donor insemination (TDI) services from the University of Connecticut Health Center’s Center for Advanced Reproductive Services. As a result, she became pregnant with twins.

Throughout the pregnancy, Jean-Marie and Aaron were told that their babies were healthy. At 37 weeks’ gestation, however, the Monroe-Lynch couple learned that their daughter had died in-utero.

The remaining twin, a boy, was then delivered by way of emergency cesarean section. The couple’s son, now age 6, suffers from catastrophic neurological and developmental disabilities.
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The parents of a minor child noticed that since his birth, he breathed very loudly and made grunting noises. After a five-month period, pediatrician Aqil Surka and Dr. Ann Marie Edward examined the child multiple times and noted his breathing problems. The child’s sleep pattern deteriorated, and he lost weight.

The child (Doe) was brought to the practice after he vomited twice, refused his feeding and did not sleep well at night. Doe was later diagnosed as having aortic stenosis, which required a heart transplant. Doe is now 4 years old, immune-compromised and requires immune-suppressant drugs. Additionally, Doe requires regular cardiac testing and is expected to need a second heart transplant.

Doe’s parents, individually and on his behalf, sued Prisma Health-Upstate, under which the pediatric practice operated, alleging that the pediatrician and others had chosen not to timely diagnose Doe’s congenital heart defect.
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Tammy Esquivel was admitted to Contra Costa Regional Medical Center to deliver her baby. During her 26-hour labor, her contraction pattern became abnormal. She experienced intense abdominal pain. The fetal monitor showed a prolonged severe deceleration, prompting nurses to reposition Esquivel and discontinue Pitocin.

A new deceleration occurred. A special response team was then summoned to the bedside. Approximately an hour later, Esquivel’s daughter was delivered by emergency cesarean section.

The baby was later diagnosed as having suffered severe hypoxic-ischemic brain damage. The baby is now three. She requires a feeding tube and suffers from seizures among other medical problems.
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Towanna Neal delivered her daughter prematurely at Prisma Health Richland Hospital. The baby was transferred to the facility’s ICU, where she was fed intravenously.

The child developed an infection at the IV site, which required surgical grafting on her hand. The child later developed a hernia at the graft incision site, which also required surgery.

Although the child recovered, she will require future surgeries to treat her scar tissue.
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After delivering her second child at Roe Hospital, Ms. Doe, 32, experienced postpartum bleeding. Her pulse increased to 180 beats per minute. Her blood pressure plummeted to 74/44 mm Hg.

Ms. Doe’s treating obstetrician and the attending nurses tried unsuccessfully to stop the bleeding. They used a Bakri balloon and administered Hemabate solution. However, 90 minutes later, the doctor ordered a blood transfusion. Despite these efforts, Ms. Doe’s condition deteriorated and she later passed away.

She was survived by her husband and two minor children, including her newborn.
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Ms. Doe presented in active labor on an evening to Providence Regional Medical Center’s Pavilion for Women and Children. Ms. Doe, whose full-term baby was healthy at the time of her admission, was administered Pitocin and remained in labor throughout the night.

The next morning at around 5 a.m., significant signs of fetal distress occurred, including prolonged decelerations. Nurses informed the on-duty obstetrician, who was in surgery with another patient. The doctor ordered an operating room be opened for Ms. Doe.

Approximately three hours later, Ms. Doe’s daughter was delivered by cesarean section; the procedure was performed by a different obstetrician. The baby was diagnosed as having hypoxic-ischemic brain damage and — tragically — died just nine days later. The baby was survived by Ms. Doe, the baby’s mother, and her husband.
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