Linda Meagher recently obtained a defense verdict in a trial involving claims of medical malpractice and civil rights violations. The plaintiff was placed in custody in the Milwaukee County Jail for violating her probation by using cocaine. At the time of her incarceration, she was eight months pregnant. One week into her incarceration her baby was found to be stillborn. Plaintiff argued that the stillbirth was caused by the fact that she missed five days of her methadone treatment. The defense argued that the stillbirth was caused by the plaintiff’s type II diabetes, which she failed to monitor during the pregnancy, and the fact that she only had one prenatal visit. The placental pathology also showed an abnormal placenta and a baby that was too large for the gestational date due to the diabetes. Further, the medical research and literature showed that even abrupt detoxication of Methadone does not cause fetal stress or demise. The jury found no liability on the defendants. Gass Turek partner Stephen Trigg and paralegal Emily Zastrow assisted Linda throughout the litigation and trial.
