Parents of baby who died after emergency c-section agree €150,000 settlement

The parents of a baby girl who died minutes after her birth are to receive €150,000 in a settlement of their negligence claim against a gynaecologist and the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin.

Jane Farren (aged 38) and Feidhlimidh Wrafter (aged 37) of Spire View, Rathgar claimed they suffered mental distress over the loss of their daughter Molly on October 16, 2008.

The High Court heard baby Molly died 24 minutes after she was delivered by emergency caesarean section at the Rotunda Hospital.

Her parents Jane Farren and Feidhlimidh Wrafter sued the hospital and obstetrician Prof Fergal Malone claiming that the mother’s labour had not been properly monitored and that there had been inappropriate use of the labour inducing drug Syntocinon.

The couple also alleged they had been led to believe that their daughter’s death was unexplained and that nothing could have been done to prevent it.

Their action for damages today settled for €150,000 with no admission of liability.

Asked whether today’s settlement would bring closure, Molly’s mother Jane Farren replied: "There’s no closure when you’ve lost a child."