The plaintiffs brought a medical malpractice action against the defendants after their newborn son developed kernicterus and suffered severe brain damage due to untreated hyperbilirubinemia.
The action against the physicians was settled, and the trial proceeded against the hospital and the nurse who cared for the infant overnight.
The court found that the nurse breached the standard of care by failing to report her observation of the infant's jaundice to a physician.
Applying a robust and pragmatic approach to causation, the court concluded that but for the nurse's negligence, a physician would have ordered a bilirubin test and initiated phototherapy in time to prevent the infant's injuries.
The hospital was held vicariously liable.
