The Region : Girl Wins $15 Million in Medical Case

A brain-damaged 4-year-old girl won a $15-million out-of-court settlement in a lawsuit alleging negligence by a doctor who treated her after she was born at a Pomona hospital, the child’s attorney said. Dr. Kong Tay Wu, a neonatologist at Pomona Valley Community Hospital, is responsible for half of the settlement for Kristi Gordon of Rialto, who was born two months premature on July 22, 1983, said her attorney, Bruce Fagel. Kristi is blind, retarded and suffers from cerebral palsy. Another party, which Fagel said he could not name because of a gag order, will pay the remainder of the settlement. Court records show that Pomona Valley Community Hospital was the second defendant in the civil suit, but hospital officials declined to comment. The Pomona Superior Court suit alleged that Kristi received substandard care from Wu and the hospital, and that treatment given to the infant after birth contributed to the severity of her condition.