$35M Settlement In NorthShore, Sex Offender OB-GYN Birth Injury Suit

NorthShore University Health System and one of the hospital group's former obstetrician-gynecologist have agreed to pay $35 million to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit over an birth injury.

The west suburban parents of twins born prematurely on Oct. 29, 2015, at NorthShore Evanston Hospital, agreed to the settlement on Friday, after a three-week civil trial resulted in a hung jury.

All but two jurors at the Daley Center in Chicago found that then-NorthShore Dr. Fabio Ortega was negligent and liable for the catastrophic injuries suffered by the younger of the twins during a "rare and dangerous" cesarean deliver that lasted 14 minutes, leaving the now-7-year-old old girl with cerebral palsy and in need of constant medical care for the rest of her life, according to the parents' attorneys.

Ortega assured the family that he would remain at the hospital, but instead left the hospital during his on-call shift and showed up late to the mother's c-section after another doctor recommended delivery, the plaintiff's attorneys said.

"This case centered on the reasonable standard of medical care this little girl was entitled to," said Stephan Blandin, who represented the parents.

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