Case Name: Raiza Bravo and Oscar Rodriguez v. United States of America
Case Number: 04-cv-21807
Description: Wrongful death
Filing date: July 20, 2004
Trial date: Sept. 21-22, 2010
Award: $10.2 million
Judge: Sr. U.S. District Judge Jose Gonzalez Jr.
Plaintiff lawyers: Ervin A. Gonzalez and Deborah Gander, Colson Hicks Eidson, Coral Gables
Defense lawyers: Wendy A. Jacobus and Marlene Rodriguez, U.S. attorney’s office, Miami
Details: The parents of Kevin Bravo Rodriguez won a $60.5 million malpractice award in 2005 on grounds that the personnel at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Jacksonville were negligent for recognizing too late that the umbilical cord was strangling their infant son during delivery June 11, 2003. Kevin suffered severe and permanent brain damage. He was never able to suck, swallow, eat, speak, see, hear, roll, sit or respond to any stimuli except pain.
While the judge’s reduced award was on appeal, Kevin died of a seizure at age 3. The parents refiled the lawsuit as a wrongful death complaint, and a second bench trial took place to reconsider damages.
