Houston jury has awarded $95.5 million to the family of a four-year-old Houston girl left irreversibly brain damaged after a dentist improperly restrained and sedated her during treatment of decayed teeth…click2houston.com, Houston jury awards $95.5M to family of girl who suffered brain damage after sedated, restrained by dentist, attorney says, Sep 2022
After a three-day trial, the jury found that former dentist Bethaniel Jefferson was negligent in her treatment of Nevaeh Hall, who suffered drug-induced seizures and oxygen deprivation at the Diamond Dental Practice in January 2016.
The girl’s parents, Courissa Clark and Derrick Hall, alleged that Jefferson physically restrained the girl, negligently medicated her, and kept the girl away from her mother after she began having seizures.
Nevaeh, now 10 years old, is conscious, but can no longer see, speak, walk or eat on her own, her family testified in the trial. She requires 24-hour medical care.
In November 2016, the Texas Dental Board revoked Jefferson’s medical license. In 2017, Jefferson was indicted by a Harris County grand jury on charges of intentionally and knowingly by omission causing serious bodily injury to a child by failing to seek and provide adequate medical attention. Jefferson also had been reprimanded for other incidents by the Texas Dental Board in 2005 and 2012.
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Negligence was gross in its effect – oxygen deprivation & seizures depriving the patient of the most basic functions of speech & walking including other basic functions of living. Then an attempt to deny & cover up the error = criminally negligent battery. More medical providers need to realize people’s lives depend on them using carefully thought through decisions made with patient informed consent based on research.