Rachel McCarthy wins €4m brain injury settlement

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Rachel McCarthy secured approval of a €4 million medical negligence settlement in the High Court on 9 December 2016, after claims that failures during her birth caused brain injury. The settlement was made without admission of liability, and the HSE denied the claims.

The action arose from Rachel’s birth at St Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny, on 9 December 1989. Her counsel said she suffered a lack of oxygen to the brain and should have been delivered by Caesarean section earlier.

Mr Justice Raymond Fullam approved the settlement in favour of Rachel, who sued through her mother, Noreen McCarthy. Counsel said the settlement represented 75 per cent of the claim’s full value, while acknowledging there was no guarantee of success at trial.