$40 Million Awarded to Family of Brain Injured Child

By Merylee Robbins

Published on August 18, 2005

The jury found Dr. Jacqueline Halladay, the mother's obstetrician and gynecologist, negligent for failing to quickly deliver the baby by cesarean after detecting signs of fetal distress. Dr. Halladay, who had just completed her residency two months prior to the incident, made the decision to administer Pitocin to the mother to induce vaginal delivery, rather than order an emergency cesarean, which could have saved the baby from permanent injury.

After the Pitocin was given to the mother, Lisa Antonelli, the Antonelli family waited over three hours for the child to be delivered. Soon after birth, the child suffered a seizure and bleeding in the brain that caused irreversible damage. The jury found Dr. Halladay guilty of medical malpractice and awarded the family one of the largest personal injury verdicts in Massachusetts' history. However, despite the $40 million verdict decided by the jury, the Antonelli family will most likely be receiving much less. During deliberations, both sides agreed that the actual award could not exceed the maximum amount covered by Halladay's medical malpractice insurance.

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