Woman settles action over her birth 20 years ago for €8.5m

A young woman who sued over the circumstances of her birth at Wexford General Hospital has settled her High Court action for €8.5 million.

Shannon O’Farrell-Molloy, now aged 20, has a brain injury but can walk and talk and has come on extremely well in recent years, the court was told.

Outlining her case on Thursday, her counsel Bruce Antoniotti SC told Mr Justice Kevin Cross that, in the days before her delivery, everything was normal.

Their claim involved alleged failure to monitor the foetal heartbeat between 8am and 9.10am on the morning she was delivered.

Shannon was born at 9.30am on July 18th, 1997, he said. Once it was discovered something was amiss, action was taken quickly and there was no criticism by his side in relation to that, counsel said.

Liability was at issue in the case and a full defence was filed by the HSE, he added.

Devoted care

He said Ms O’Farrell-Molloy was able to walk and talk, has great ambitions for herself and has the devoted care of her family.

Her mother Sandra told the court she was happy with the settlement and the young woman also said she was happy with it.

Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Cross said it was a very good one, and that Ms O’Farrell-Molloy now has all the support she needs into the future.

Ms O’Farrell-Molloy, of Kayle, Foulksmills, Co Wexford had, through her mother Sandra Maguire Molloy, sued the HSE over the circumstances of her birth at Wexford General Hospital on July 18th, 1997.

It was claimed Shannon’s mother was admitted to the hospital on the day before the birth and monitoring of the foetal heartbeat with CTG (cardiotocography) was commenced.

It was claimed that, on the morning the child was born, there was failure to monitor the foetal heart beat between 8am and 9 .10am, and failure to adequately or at all manage the labour and delivery.

It was further claimed the baby was delivered far too late.

The claims were denied.