Justia Lawyer Rating for Robert D. Kreisman

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Ms. Doe required cervical cerclage to address cervical insufficiency during previous pregnancies. She consulted a maternal-fetal medicine specialist during the 12th week of her fourth pregnancy. After an evaluation, the doctor allegedly offered numerous treatment options to Ms. Doe.

When Ms. Doe returned four weeks later, her cervix measured 23 millimeters. She requested a cervical cerclage given her condition. The cervix measured 20.1 millimeters when another specialist evaluated her less than a week later. In another week, the treating physician scheduled the cerclage.

While Ms. Doe was on her way to the procedure, her cervix failed. She went into labor. Her child was born at approximately 18-weeks gestation and died within an hour of his birth. Ms. Doe sued the two doctors alleging they chose not to perform a timely cervical cerclage. Ms. Doe asserted that the first doctor specialist should have ensured the procedure was performed within four days as Ms. Doe had requested and that the second specialist should have admitted Ms. Doe to the hospital for an urgent cerclage. None of that was done.
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Angelle Morley suffered from gestational diabetes. She was a high risk for having a large baby. When she became exhausted during active labor, her treating obstetrician, Dr. Ralph Dauterive, applied forceps to the baby’s head.

The baby’s left shoulder became impacted on Morley’s pubic bone. It was alleged that Dr. Dauterive used lateral traction to delivery the baby who weighed more than 9 pounds at birth.

The child is now 7 years old and has been diagnosed as having brachial plexus injury, which left him permanently disfigured and with a dysfunctional left shoulder and hand.
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During the 35th week of pregnancy with twins, Ms. Doe went to her hospital following the premature rupture of her membranes. The twins were delivered successfully by way of a cesarean section. However, several hours after delivery, Ms. Doe developed hypotension tachycardia and other symptoms that did not resolve despite efforts to intervene by the hospital staff. Two hours later, Ms. Doe’s treating obstetrician returned to the hospital and, after about two hours, ordered emergency surgery.

Within thirty minutes of the surgery, Ms. Doe became unresponsive. Despite chest compressions and intubation following her cardiac arrest, Ms. Doe unfortunately died.

Ms. Doe was survived by her children, including her newborn twins. The cause of death reportedly was exsanguination (loss of blood) from internal bleeding caused by the suture dehiscence.
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Rachel Harris was admitted to Truman Medical Center to deliver her child. She was given Pitocin over the course of approximately 6 hours. She was attended by a family practice physician, Dr. Kelly Sandri, and a resident-physician. Harris’s baby suffered hypoxic-ischemic brain damage resulting in cerebral palsy.

Harris, on her daughter’s behalf, sued the hospital and Dr. Sandri, alleging excessive administration of Pitocin, which led to the child’s brain damage and birth injury.

Harris also alleged that Dr. Sandri had not properly supervised the resident who also chose not to respond to signs of Pitocin overdose evident on the fetal monitor.
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Erin Gresser suffered from Type 1 diabetes. She was admitted to North Colorado Medical Center after receiving a diagnosis of preeclampsia. Gresser was treated for group B strep infection during her labor and prolonged late decelerations occurred.

Gresser’s daughter, Carina, had Apgar scores of 8 and 9 at 1 and 5 minutes and abnormal pH levels. Carina also had hyperbilirubinemia and became tachycardic later the same evening, prompting her admission to the hospital’s ICU for further evaluation and treatment.

Carina suffered episodes of bradycardia and continued tachycardia. The laboratory allegedly reported a positive blood culture with gram-negative rods. Additionally, the gram stain from cerebral spinal fluid was positive for gram-negative rods.
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At 31 weeks gestation, Linnoska Correa had a prenatal visit with obstetrician Dr. Luis Pardo Toro. Correa’s blood pressure during the visit was 136/86 mm Hg, which was appreciably higher than other blood pressure readings during her pregnancy.

The next day, Correa complained of severe stomach pain. She was admitted to the hospital HIMA-San Pablo in Puerto Rico where she was diagnosed as having severe preeclampsia. She was given antibiotics and magnesium sulfate.

Two days later, Correa’s daughter was delivered by cesarean section. The Apgar scores at the time of delivery were 7 at one minute and 8 at five minutes. Correa’s daughter, who is now 8, suffers from severe neurological injuries and quadriplegia, which necessitates 24-hour care daily.
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On Dec. 16, 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court answered a certified question about whether a doctor who injured a fetus can be sued for wrongful death if the patient later consented to an abortion given the condition of the unborn fetus.

Thomas and Mitchell sued two doctors, Drs. Khoury and Kagan, for the wrongful death of their unborn child. The plaintiffs alleged that the doctors committed malpractice, which injured the fetus. This action later resulted in the plaintiffs agreeing to an abortion.

The trial court submitted a certified question to the Illinois Appellate Court asking whether the Illinois Wrongful Death Act bars the plaintiffs’ lawsuit.
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Doe was born prematurely and underwent surgery. He was prescribed home oxygen therapy in anticipation of his discharge. While still hospitalized, Doe kicked his pulse oximeter off of his foot, prompting an alarm.

A respiratory therapist allegedly adjusted Doe’s nasal mask and repositioned him. Less than an hour later, a desaturation alarm sounded. A clinical assistant at the hospital allegedly silenced the alarm and subsequent alarms while providing care over the next 26 minutes.

Doe became cool to the touch. The clinical assistant allegedly attempted to auscultate a heartbeat. Unable to revive the heartbeat, the clinical assistant called for nursing assistance. When a nurse arrived, Doe was limp and unresponsive.
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Ms. Doe, 30, had a history of cesarean section, stillbirth and miscarriage. When she became pregnant again, she consulted with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. A plan was put in place for a cesarean delivery at 39 weeks gestation.

During the 37th week of Ms. Doe’s pregnancy, she went to a hospital emergency room complaining of nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Although she was sent home, her pain persisted. Ms. Doe was admitted to the hospital two nights later.

The hospital’s hospitalist placed Ms. Doe on a fetal monitor, which changed from normal to indeterminate over a relatively short time span. Ms. Doe’s abdominal pain worsened, but she was discharged with instructions to follow up with her treating obstetrician in the morning.
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Jean-Marie Monroe-Lynch and her husband Aaron Lynch were unable to conceive. Monroe-Lynch received therapeutic donor insemination (TDI) services from the University of Connecticut Health Center’s Center for Advanced Reproductive Services. As a result, she became pregnant with twins.

Throughout the pregnancy, Jean-Marie and Aaron were told that their babies were healthy. At 37 weeks’ gestation, however, the Monroe-Lynch couple learned that their daughter had died in-utero.

The remaining twin, a boy, was then delivered by way of emergency cesarean section. The couple’s son, now age 6, suffers from catastrophic neurological and developmental disabilities.
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