R.C. v. Jaffe

2024 NY Slip Op 31936(U)
New York Supreme Court, New York County·Decided June 4, 2024·Unpublished·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

R.C. v Jaffe

2024 NY Slip Op 31936(U)

June 4, 2024

Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 805288/2018 Judge: Judith N. McMahon

Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication.

FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 06/04/2024 05:01 PM INDEX NO. 805288/2018 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 116 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 06/04/2024

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY

PRESENT: HON. JUDITH N. MCMAHON PART 30M Justice

-----------------------------------------X INDEX NO. 805288/2018 R. C., RACHAEL WISEMAN, JOHN COLASANTE, MOTION DATE 05/23/2024 Plaintiff,

MOTION SEQ. NO. _ _0..;;..;02;;;....:;_00;;_;;3'---

- V-

IRA JAFFE, DANIEL ROSHAN , ROSH MATERNAL-FETAL DECISION + ORDER ON

MEDICINE, PLLC, NYU LANGONE HEALTH SYSTEM MOTION

Defendant.

-------------------------------------------------------X The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 002) 50, 51 , 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60 , 61, 62, 63, 64,65 , 66, 67,68,69, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99,111, 112 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT-SUMMARY

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 003) 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88,100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109, 110, 113,114 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT-SUMMARY

Upon the foregoing documents, it is ordered that the motions for summary judgment of the defendant Ira M. Jaffe, 0.0. (Motion Seq. No. 002), and the defendants Daniel Roshan, M.D., Rosh Maternal Fetal-Medicine, PLLC and NYU Langone Health System (Motion Seq. No. 003), are granted to the extent that the complaint is severed and dismissed as against NYU Langone Health System. Also dismissed are plaintiffs' "Second" (lack of informed consent), and "Fourth" (parental emotional and mental suffering) causes of action, together with all claims against Dr. Jaffe relative to the office visit he conducted, on August 24, 2015. The balance of the motions is denied. Rosh Maternal Fetal-Medicine PLLC remains a defendant as vicariously liable for the negligent conduct, if any is found, on the part of Dr. Jaffe and/or Dr. Roshan.

805288/2018 C., R. vs. JAFFE, D.O., IRA M. Page 1 of 12 Motion No. 002 003

1 of 12

[* 1]

FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 06/04/2024 05:01 PM INDEX NO. 805288/2018 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 116 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 06/04/2024

This medical malpractice action arises out of the prenatal care and treatment rendered to the plaintiff-mother, 42-year-old Rachel Wiseman, who delivered twin daughters 1 on March 22, 2016, at 38 weeks 1 day gestation. The twins, weighing over six pounds each, were delivered by Dr. Jaffe via previously scheduled cesarean section, and demonstrated Apgar scores of 8 and 9 at one and five minutes after birth. Upon delivery, the babies were admitted to the newborn nursery for routine infant care.

On the evening of March 23, 2016, R.C. had an apneic episode while feeding. At 10:00 p.m., the baby desaturated and was transferred to the NICU. An MRI performed on March 24th revealed a large acute left middle territory infarct (i.e., middle cerebral artery or "MCA" stroke) involving the left frontal , parietal and temporal lobes, as well as the insula, basal ganglia, and thalamus. There was mass effect including sulcal effacement and effacement of the left lateral ventricle, but no mid-line shift or herniation. There was no acute intracranial hemon-hage, and the stroke was thought to be thromboembolic. R.C. was released from the hospital on April 1, 2016, and continues to suffer right sided hemiparesis, lower extremity weakness, and its sequelae.

Dr. Jaffe moves for summary judgment on the grounds that he appropriately and thoroughly evaluated plaintiff during his August 14, 2015, and March 16, 2016, office visits, that he appropriately performed the cesarean section on March 22, 2016, and that there was no evidence of excessive force or injury sustained by R. C. at the time of her delivery. Dr. Roshan, Rosh Maternal Fetal-Medicine PLLC and NYU Langone Health System move for summary judgment, maintaining that their care and treatment was consistent with the prevailing standard

The babies were monochorionic-diamniotic ("mono/di") twins, meaning that they shared a placenta but had separate amniotic sacs.

805288/2018 C., R. vs. JAFFE, 0.0., IRA M. Page 2 of 12 Motion No. 002 003

2 of 12

[* 2]

FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 06/04/2024 05:01 PM INDEX NO. 805288/2018 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 116 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 06/04/2024

of care, and that R.C. 's left cerebral stroke was neither predictable nor foreseeable and was not caused by the defendants ' action or inaction. Plaintiff opposes both motions.

In support of Motion Seq. No. 002, Dr. Jaffe submits, inter alia, the expert affirmation of an ob-gyn, Henry Prince, M.D. (see NYSCEF Doc. No. 53), who opines "with a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that there is nothing in the record to support the contention that any of the treatment rendered by Ira M. Jaffe, D.O. either caused or even remotely contributed to the injuries" claimed to have been sustained by R.C. (id., para. 23) and further, that "while it is generally recognized that mono/di twins should be born no later than 38 weeks, the additional one-day" gestation in this case did not affect R.C. 's outcome (id., para. 12). As for Dr. Jaffe ' s August 14, 2015 (8 weeks gestation) and March 14, 2016 (37 weeks gestation) office visits, Dr. Prince finds: (1) appropriate monitoring of Ms. Wiseman's glucose; (2) "no evidence of placental insufficiency and the placenta was providing the nutrients the fetuses needed, with no evidence of placental resistance or consequences of a prematurely aged placenta" (id., para. 12), and (3) a normally functioning placenta, as evidenced by the babies' good birth weights, reassuring Apgar scores, and consistent growth (id.). Dr. Prince further opines that neither steroids nor magnesium sulfate were indicated in this case, and that "neither advanced maternal age, twin pregnancy, or gestational diabetes are risk factors for neonatal stroke, even in combination." He concludes that no causal relationship exists between the obstetrical management rendered by Dr. Jaffe and the stroke suffered by R.C., which was "neither preventable nor predictable" (id., paras. 18, 20).

In support of Motion Seq. No. 003, defendants Dr. Roshan, Rosh Maternal Fetal-

Medicine, PLLC, and NYU Langone Health System submit, inter alia, the expert affirmations of

805288/2018 C., R. vs. JAFFE, D.O., IRA M. Page 3 of 12 Motion No. 002 003

3 of 12

[* 3]

FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 06/04/2024 05:01 PM INDEX NO. 805288/2018 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 116 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 06/04/2024

ob-gyn Peter Bernstein, M.D. (see NYSCEF Doc. No. 74), and pediatric neurologist, Joseph Maytal, M.D. (see NYSCEF Doc. No. 75).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

R.C. v. Jaffe, 2024 NY Slip Op 31936(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2024).

2024 NY Slip Op 31936(U) (R.C. v. Jaffe) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

R. C. v. Jaffe
2024 NY Slip Op 31936(U) (New York Supreme Court, New York County, 2024)