Doctor Sued Over Decapitated Baby

Article from: United Press International
Article date: October 06, 2011

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 6 (UPI) — A Kentucky doctor who delivered a decapitated, premature baby told a jury he did what he thought was appropriate and “the best I could do at that time.” “I tried to dislodge the head from being trapped,” Dr. Joseph Bilotta testified. “After several minutes … I felt a give.”

Donelson’s lawyers argue Bilotta failed to remove a cerclage, a string used to keep Donelson’s cervix closed and the child in the womb, the Courier-Journal reported. The string acted “as a noose” and helped cause the decapitation when Bilotta pulled on the child, attorney Mark Mathys said.

Bilotta testified that while he initially attempted to deliver the baby with the string still in, it didn’t work so he removed it.

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John J. Malm was one of the lawyers retained to represent a young woman who tragically witnessed the decapitation of her baby during premature delivery. The jury found for the woman and against the doctors, awarding the client $1,362,000 in damages for the severe emotional injuries she suffered. Co-counsel, Mark Mathys, tried the medical malpractice case before a Louisville, Kentucky jury.