Dennis Quaid’s Twins Receive $500,000 Hospital Settlement

In 2007 Dennis Quaid and his wife Kimberly Buffington welcomed twins, Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace, via a surrogate mother.  The Quaid babies were born on November 8, 2007 at Cedar Sinai Medical Center, a Los Angeles area hospital.  Twelve days after their birth, the twins were given a nearly fatal dose of the anti-clotting agent Heparin at 1000 times the recommended amount.  Heparin is generally used when a patient receives fluids through a central line to prevent a blood clot from forming.  But if the blood is too thin, it puts the patient at risk for life threatening bleeding or hemorrhages, including in the brain.

Quaid and his wife settled their dispute with the Beverly Hills based hospital for $750,000 in December of 2008.  In the settlement the hospital did not admit any wrongdoing, but did allow for claims to be pursued on behalf of the twins in the future.

Last week lawyers for the Quaid twins reportedly reached a half a million dollar settlement with Cedar Sinai.  Each twin will receive $250,000.  The babies also won the right to free medical care from the hospital in the future if it is related to the dosing incident.  Doctors say the babies have “not recovered completely from the effects of the injuries”.