Judge Approves $7M Malpractice Settlement for Massachusetts Couple

A Massachusetts judge has approved a $7 million settlement for a Shrewsbury family who claimed medical negligence in the birth of their daughter.

The lawsuit filed in 2008 lawsuit against two doctors, a nurse practitioner and a genetic counselor alleged that Ran Zhuang and her husband, Zhiru Guo, were not provided proper prenatal genetic counseling before giving birth on Nov. 11, 2007, at UMass Memorial Medical Center to a baby girl with a rare genetic disorder known as cri-du-chat syndrome.

A lawyer for the family tells The Telegram & Gazette that had the child’s chromosomal abnormality been detected early enough Zhuang could have made an informed decision whether to terminate her pregnancy.

The defendants denied any negligence. Their lawyers declined comment.

A judge approved the settlement Thursday in Worcester Superior Court.