Monrovia – The Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice will Wednesday resume hearing into the lawsuit filed by Montserrado lawmaker Edward Forh against the Management of the John F. Kennedy Hospital for US$25 million compensation over the death of his daughter in 2014.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian – [email protected]
On Tuesday, lawyers representing Rep. Forh and that of the Justice Ministry representing 11 administrators of the JFK Tuesday chose nine-member jury that will be responsible to hear the case and bring out a verdict.
Representative Forh of Montserrado District# 16 during the September 2015 Term of the Civil Law Court filed a lawsuit blaming the leadership of the hospital for the death of Nakita Forh.
The 11 defendants include: Munah Tarpeh, Tannie Sneh Mary Howard Nyaaquie and Dr. Korto Dorbor. Others are Dr. Billy Johnson, Dr. David Okiro, Professor Joseph Njoh, Dr. Wvannie Scott McDonald and Korza Koryan.
There were all on duty on that fateful day.
Representative Forh told the court in his complaint due to the acute nature and severity of the asthmatic attack on his daughter on Friday, September 26, 2014 he was advised to take his daughter to the JFK while still alive for an asthma nebulizer to stabilize his daughter’s breathing condition as the result of the attack.
He stated that based on the medical advice, he took his daughter and upon arrival at the hospital they were refused by personnel of the hospital to include all of the defendants on ground that they had a policy not to treat any case they deemed severe unless the patient could produce clearance from the ETU.
Representative Forh, represented by Cllr. Arthur Johnson, continued after he pleaded with the hospital’s personnel to admit his daughter as she was not an Ebola patient but the personnel vehemently refused to admit her.
According to Representative Forh based on the personnel refusal he was compelled to take his daughter home while she was still alive and returned to the hospital the next day on September 27, 2015 and again appealed to the hospital which they still refused to see and care for his daughter and she later died on the hospital compound in the presence of the hospital personnel.
The plaintiff says that the “negligent and reckless” attitude towards a patient who is dying and asking for help from those who had taken oath to do so caused psychological pains, mental anguish, emotional distress and frustrations.
“Wherefore and in view of the foregoing plaintiff (Forh) prays the court to rule and adjudge the defendants liable to the plaintiff not less than US$10 million in general damages, US$5 million punitive damages, US$5 million in compensatory damages and US$5 million in consequential damages,” Rep Forh told the court.
But the defendants represented by the Solicitor General Betty Lamin Blamo in an answer to the compliant that from the circumstances, neither of the defendants is liable for the death of the late Nakita Forh that the only culprit is the father who managed the child at home over night without any medical training and brought the child dead at the JFK Hospital to insinuate that the death occurred at the hospital.
“Wherefore and in view of the facts the defendants pray the court to deny the prayer of the plaintiff for an award of US$25,000,000.00 in damages adjudge the plaintiff negligent in handling the condition of the late Nakita Forh” the defense lawyers said.