$20 Million Malpractice Settlement Won by Downers Grove Lawyer

Representing a family suing Chicago's Stoger Hospital after a surgery left a 3-year-old boy with permanent brain damage, Downers Grove attorney Timothy Ashe won a $20 million dollar settlement in a malpractice lawsuit, one of the largest settlements in Cook County history, according to reports.

The suit alleged that toddler Keith Francique went into cardiac arrest after a surgery to repair an undescended testicle, and that medical staff delayed five minutes to resuscitate him, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The child was revived, but the oxygen deprivation and heart attack caused permanent brain injury, the Tribune reported in February.

Cook County commissioners approved the $20 million payment in February to ensure that Ashe could receive care for the rest of his life, according to a Suburban Life report.

"He requires assistance in every aspect of his life as he cannot walk or speak," Ashe told Suburban Life in an e-mail, saying the money would go towards caring for Keith for the rest of his life. "He is incontinent and also requires tube feeding. Keith is also visually impaired. He requires round the clock nursing care."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

There are plenty of ways to keep up on Downers Grove news:

• Sign up for our daily email newsletter

• Like us on Facebook for a slightly different take