Conn. family wins $32 million judgement against hospital for feeding cow-based formula to preemie, who later died
Connecticut judge awards $32 million to parents after premature baby died from cow‑based formula
A judge in Connecticut handed down the largest settlement in a neonatal case, giving grieving parents Anika Hunte and Dane Peterson $31.9 million. The court found Yale New Haven Hospital violated the family’s consent when it supplied a dairy‑fortified formula to their newborn boy in April 2018, a decision that led to the infants’ tragic death.
The baby, born just six weeks early at a weight of roughly one pound, suffered a rapid decline after doctors added a cow‑milk‑derived fortifier to the mother’s breast milk a month after delivery. Hunte, who had insisted that her son receive only breast milk, said she was never informed that the supplement came from cows or that it carried significant health risks. The infant quickly developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a life‑threatening gastrointestinal disease that often strikes the most fragile newborns.
Within days of receiving the milk‑based supplement, the child’s condition worsened. Despite being placed on life‑support, he passed away after less than two months, according to the lawsuit. The judge also ruled that other human‑milk‑based alternatives were available, but the hospital did not keep them in stock. The court held that doctors should have obtained the alternatives or transferred the baby to a facility that stocked them.
The settlement covers $1.9 million for medical bills and lost earning capacity, and an additional $30 million for pain, suffering and the loss of a life. Yale New Haven Hospital has yet to respond to a request for comment.
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