Opinion ID: 2296355
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Breach by the Adams Morgan Clinic

Text: There was ample evidence at trial from which a reasonable jury could reasonably conclude that the District's employees at the Adams Morgan Clinic breached the standard of care. The medical experts agreed [7] that if a patient presents symptoms of sickness in addition to fetal death in utero, it is necessary to hospitalize the patient immediately for diagnosis and treatment. A jury could reasonably find that when Dr. Fales examined Rosa on June 26, she did present symptoms of sickness in addition to fetal death in utero. The evidence indicates that she was visibly ill to her family throughout the day. Gloria testified that in the morning Rosa was looking very bad and her skin was yellowish, and Hector testified that after the clinic visit, Rosa was in pain, very pale, vomiting, bony, and her skin was very yellow. Furthermore, Dr. Berke testified that Rosa's symptoms were so severe the next day that she had to look sick the day before. This is not something that came on her overnight. This has been progressing for probably several days. Finally, Dr. Fales himself recorded looks pale in Rosa's medical records. It is, therefore, reasonable for a jury to infer that Rosa presented symptoms of sickness in addition to fetal death in utero during the afternoon examination on June 26. [8] Rather than hospitalize Rosa for diagnosis and treatment of her sickness, however, Dr. Fales merely ordered a sonogram test to confirm his conclusion that her fetus had died. Furthermore, Nurse Bondurant needlessly delayed the testing until the following day. The evidence of the clinic's deviation from the standard of care requiring immediate hospitalization is, therefore, legally sufficient.