Michigan Supreme Court building
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline)-A dead mother's family can sue for damages for loss of household services, a divided Michigan state Supreme Court ruled this week.
The court's majority said Laurie Ann Greene's family can sue Mercy Memorial Hospital in Monroe, Mich., for $1.4 million for a loss of household services.
The family alleges Greene died because she bled to death from the site of a Cesarean section. They allege medical malpractice in the case.
Last year, the state appeals court ruled that household services such as caring for children are not subject to caps on medical malpractice damages related to pain and suffering.
The hospital appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court, arguing that the loss of household service is noneconomic and subject to a damage cap.
In a 4-3 vote, the high court's justices said they would not hear the hospital's appeal.
From Legal Newsline: Reach staff reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.