Professional Negligence Law Reporter

Angela Gonzalez experienced premature contractions at 31 weeks gestation. She went to Saint Clare’s Hospital, where obstetrician Patricia Dreyfuss allegedly determined that Gonzalez required a cesarean delivery. Dreyfuss then allegedly performed the procedure with obstetrician Dawn Goldstein. The baby later suffered hypoxic-ischemic brain damage and organ failure, resulting in developmental delays, speech and vision impairment, and chronic renal failure.

Gonzalez sued Dreyfuss; Goldstein; their employer, Lifeline Medical Associates LLC; and Saint Clare’s Hospital, alleging that the cesarean delivery had been delayed due to an inadequate uterine incision and that Lifeline and the hospital were liable under vicarious liability and respondeat superior theories. The plaintiff claimed that extraction of the fetus took 10 minutes after the incision and that this delay resulted in the baby’s permanent injuries.

The plaintiff settled for $3 million policy limits with Dreyfuss, Goldstein, and Lifeline. Saint Clare’s later agreed to settle the case for $850,000.

Citation: Gonzalez v. Goldstein, No. ESXL-007190-18 (N.J. Super. Ct. Essex Cnty. Mar. 7, 2025).

Plaintiff counsel: Ernest P. Fronzuto, Woodland Park, N.J.