Father Loses California Malpractice Suit Over Son’s Brain Damage

A man who claimed his infant son was left brain-damaged after surgery at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles has lost a $19-million lawsuit.

A Los Angeles jury ruled in favor of the hospital and two doctors.

Eduardo Rivas of Tujunga claimed he never gave permission for doctors to operate on his 6-month-old son Nathan in 2007 to repair a double hernia.

Rivas claimed a bad reaction to anesthesia left his son, who’s now nearly 3, with a baby’s mental capacity.

The hospital argued that Rivas gave permission by phone. The hospital attributed the boy’s problems to his being born four months premature.

Rivas’s attorney, Nathaniel Friedman, says the boy’s care has cost more than $900,000 but it’s covered by Medi-Cal.