$20 Million Jury Award in Medical Malpractice Case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ A jury has awarded more than $20 million to the family of a
woman who died days after giving birth to her son at a Minneapolis hospital.

The verdict in Hennepin County District Court Monday is the result of a lawsuit
by Nicole Bermingham's family against a nurse and Emergency Care Consultants,
which provides emergency medical personnel to Abbott Northwestern Hospital. The
30-year-old new mother died in August 2013 after developing sepsis. Bermingham
was discharged after giving birth, but later returned to the hospital with fever
and nausea.

Her family contended an emergency room nurse ignored lab results which showed Bermingham had sepsis and sent her back home. Bermingham returned to the hospital 12 hours later and died.

An attorney for the defendants says no decision has been made on whether to
appeal.