Title: Damages
First published: 1998
Description: "Donna Sabia went into labor anticipating the birth of twins. She had two days earlier been told that everything seemed fine. Yet when the babies were born, one was dead and the other barely alive.".

"At the urging of a friend, the Sabias filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Humes and Norwalk Hospital. Barry Werth takes us through the seven-year lawsuit, allowing us to see the legal strategy plotted by the Sabias' attorneys, Connecticut's premier medical malpractice law firm. He narrates a tale of doctor, midwife, hospital, and insurance carriers all angling to shift the blame elsewhere, and of rival attorneys searching for medical experts to help them wage battle.".

"But Damages is also the immensely moving story of the Sabias, grief-stricken at first, them challenged daily by the extraordinary amount of care Little Tony required. He was unable to eat, talk, walk, or even sit, yet despite the enormous strain on their marriage and the staggering financial cost, they never considered putting him in a home. Nor are they the only victims. Dr. Humes is forced to struggle with the stain of the lawsuit and the financial and psychological burdens it brings.

Meanwhile, the experts debate what happened and who, if anyone, is at fault." "In the end, the question of fault recedes behind the shared interest of all parties in avoiding a trial. The Sabias seek financial relief and security for their son's uncertain future while the defendants wish to avoid the expense and uncertainty of a protracted litigation. The risk of losing pushes all sides closer together.".

"More than a story of one couple's personal anguish and devotion to their damaged child, Damages is also a timely, thoughtful exploration of what happens when our legal and medical worlds collide."--BOOK JACKET.
Subjects: Trials, litigation, Developmentally disabled children, Attorney and client, Malpractice, Cases, Obstetricians, Legal status, laws, New York Times reviewed, Damages, Medical personnel, malpractice
Places: Connecticut
People: Tony Sabia (1984-)
LC classification: KF228.S22 W47 1998