A woman from Hanwell, New Brunswick, visited Horizon’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital’s emergency room on March 22, 2022. The next morning, she discovered that her fetus had no heartbeat. She has now settled her lawsuit against the health authority, the hospital, and four physicians. Aimee Dunn had filed a lawsuit for negligence, alleging that the doctors and hospital had provided inadequate medical care. The case was filed in March 2024 in the Court of King’s Bench in Fredericton. Dunn and Mitchell Waite, the father, sought compensation for pain and suffering, loss of earnings, and aggravated and punitive damages.
The lawsuit did not go to trial but was instead resolved in December with the agreement of all parties involved. Aris Lavranos, the lawyer representing Dunn and Waite, described the resolution as amicable. Lavranos declined to disclose the financial details of the settlement but mentioned that his clients found the conclusion satisfactory. He believed that the loss of the fetus was not attributable to a single factor but rather a combination of issues.
The statement of claim alleged that the doctors had failed to consider life-threatening diagnoses, neglected to monitor the fetus, and lacked effective communication among medical teams. Lavranos stated that the negligence was due to human errors rather than malicious intent. He had reviewed Dunn’s case after she approached MacGillivray Law, where he was articling at the time. After consulting with experts, he found merit in Dunn’s case.
Dunn, who had named her daughter Reia, was still mourning the loss of her unborn child five weeks before her due date when she spoke to CBC News in August 2022. She expressed frustration after learning about another patient’s death in the same emergency department where she felt her concerns were overlooked. Lavranos highlighted that Dunn and Waite had suffered psychological harm from the loss of their daughter.
Horizon declined to comment on the lawsuit’s resolution. Dunn’s medical records revealed that she had been triaged in the emergency room on March 22, 2022, and was not continuously monitored despite reporting severe pain and concerns for her fetus. The claim stated that she was not moved to acute care until the following day after experiencing a seizure, which led to the detection of no fetal heart rate. Subsequently, she was diagnosed with severe pregnancy complications and underwent a caesarean section, delivering a stillborn girl.
After the settlement, Horizon acknowledged the lawsuit’s conclusion but did not provide further comments. Following the tragic event, Dunn and Waite, who both had demanding jobs, initially hesitated to pursue legal action due to the challenges involved in taking on the Canadian Medical Protective Association. The association reported a high number of resolved legal actions in its last annual report, with a majority ending in settlements or dismissals.