$25 Million Verdict in Stillbirth Case After OB-GYNs Missed Severe Preeclampsia

In 2017, Shanta Hinnant was under obstetric care when she developed signs of severe preeclampsia, a dangerous blood-pressure condition that requires close monitoring and, when severe features are present, hospitalization and delivery planning. Instead of keeping her for observation, Dr. Kathleen Mont-Louis discharged her without the monitoring her condition required. Dr. Susan Thomas later had an opportunity to intervene but failed to review necessary medical records and take corrective action.

Hinnant returned with worsening complications. The pregnancy ended in a stillbirth. She and the baby's father, Adrian Dean, filed a medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuit in Bibb County State Court, naming both physicians as defendants.

Katherine McArthur, Caleb Walker, and Quintesha Reynolds of McArthur Law Firm tried the case alongside Tracey Dellacona of Dellacona Law Firm. The plaintiffs' team had to establish that the standard of care for a patient with severe preeclampsia features required hospitalization and escalation, and that each doctor's departure from that standard was a direct cause of the loss. The defense contested liability across both physicians.

During closing argument, the trial team used an AI-generated visual presentation, a notable procedural choice that drew attention from the legal press. The Law.com Daily Report covered the verdict specifically because of that strategy.

The jury deliberated and returned a verdict of $25 million. Of that award, jurors assigned $4 million to the economic value of the child's life and $15 million to its intangible value, as reported in the legal press. The case represented one of the largest fetal wrongful death verdicts recorded in Georgia state court history. No reduction or remittitur has been reported in available coverage as of the time of this writing.