U.S. To Pay Maine Mom $8M After Clinic Didn't Report Son's Abuse

BANGOR, ME — The United States government will pay a Maine mother $8 million after a federally-funded clinic failed to tell her that her then-6-month-old child was being abused, according to reports.

Alexandria Orduna of Brewer will receive $17,000 per month for the rest of her son's life through a settlement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Associated Press reported. The funds will be set aside in a trust account to contribute to his health care costs and long-term medical needs.

According to Bangor Daily News, the settlement stemmed from allegations made by Orduna, who claimed staff at Brewer Medical Center failed to recognize or report the abuse her son endured at the hands of a man who was living with her in 2019.

Orduna sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which funds Medicaid, the program that covered the boy's medical care.

Today, the 4-year-old boy is legally blind, the Daily News reported. His brain stopped developing amid the abuse and he also has limited movement in his left arm and leg.

Cyree Hansley, 27, of North Carolina, who was living with Orduna when the boy was injured but is not his father, pleaded guilty last year to one count of aggravated assault and one count of assault on a child less than 6 years old.