According to the law firm Corboy & Demetrio, Northwestern Memorial Hospital destroyed the sperm samples of 40 patients negligently. The law firm was the one which filed lawsuits on behalf of the plaintiffs.
According to the release of the lawsuits each patient had filed individually, it was alleged that the cryopreservation and the storage procedures at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital ad failed while led to the damage of the semen and the testicular tissue.
Even after knowing that the system he failed the Chicago based hospital’s staff failed to adequately monitor the proceedings and respond properly to the issue at hand, a statement said. Today in Cook County Circuit Court, the lawsuits were filed.
Cases reported by different age groups:
The cases reported were of patients off different age group. Out of the lawsuits reported by the plaintiffs, three of the plaintiffs were minors, the youngest being of 14 years old, a diagnosed cancer patient, said the release.
According to the release, Matthew Jenkins, an attorney at Chicago based Corboy said “Most of the plaintiffs have suffered serious illness or were undergoing medical treatment that would likely render them infertile, Freezing their sperm was the only real hope they had for ever having biological children.”
The collected sperm was to be stored and kept at cool temperatures for further investigations in a chamber located in a lab, called as the defendant was maintained by the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation.
During the time when this incident took place, the faculty foundation was a group of doctors which was affiliated with the NorthWestern University’s medical school, however not it has merged with the hospital.
Measures taken to avert counter claims
Phillip Roemer, the chief medical officer of the faculty foundation in a statement said, the manufacturers of the equipment involved and the tank will attend an initial inspection this summer which will be completed in fall. The safeguards have been added and the equipment have been replaced.
The manufacturers of the parts that failed will be asserted by the faculty foundation for the counterclaims against them, mentioned a statement. In a statement, Dr. Roemer said, “We deeply regret that this equipment malfunction occurred, and our primary focus since this incident has been on our patients and their needs”.
Following allegations by some people, considering the lawsuits from the Cook County judge last year, the lawsuits follow the decision of ordering the Northwestern and Faculty foundation to turn over the documents related to the cryogenic system machinery and preserve them, stated a release.
According to the Crain’s list published on April 22, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation is the second-largest physicians group in the Chicago area, with a net revenue worth $471.0 million in the year 2012.
Looking at the revenues generated in the year 2012, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare which includes Northwestern Memorial, is one of the largest hospital systems in the Chicago area with a net revenue of worth $1.70 billion.
