A Connecticut judge awarded nearly $32 million to grieving parents after their premature baby died when a hospital fed him cow-based formula without their consent.
Anika Hunte and Dane Peterson were awarded $31.9 million after the court ruled Thursday that Yale New Haven Hospital failed to obtain their permission before giving their newborn son the dairy-based products, which led to his tragic death in April 2018, WFSB reported.
The judge determined the formula caused the roughly one-pound premature baby to develop necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a life-threatening gastrointestinal disease that primarily impacts newborns.
Hunte, who gave birth to Aires-Reign Peterson at just 27 weeks on Jan. 30, 2018, told hospital staff she wanted her son fed only breast milk, according to a lawsuit filed against the health provider.
But when the tiny baby started losing weight in February, doctors added a cow-based fortifier to his mother’s breast milk. The parents alleged they were never informed the product was made from cow’s milk or about the potential risks it posed to fragile newborns developing NEC, the outlet reported.
Only days after being fed the milk-based supplement, the baby developed the deadly condition and his health rapidly declined.
He was put on life-support and died less than two months later, the suit said.
The judge ruled that other human-milk-based alternatives were available, but the Connecticut hospital didn’t stock them — finding that doctors should have first obtained the products or transferred the baby to another facility that did, the outlet reported.
The judgement includes $1.9 million for medical expenses and lost earning capacity, and $30 million for pain, suffering, and the baby’s death.
Yale New Haven Hospital did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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