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Celebrity Justice
Dennis Quaid's Weird Legal Non-Move

Posted Mar 16th 2008 1:18PM by TMZ Staff

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center tried to cover-up a massive medical screw-up with Dennis Quaid's newborn kids, at least according to sources who spoke with TMZ when we first broke the story. So why the heck isn't Quaid suing the hospital?

As we first reported, after a Cedars nurse gave the kids several massive overdoses of the blood-thinning drug Heparin, they were spurting blood but Cedars never notified the parents. The kids are fine now, and the Quaids have sued the manufacturer of the drug, Baxter Heath Corp., for mislabeling -- but Cedars is not a defendant. Why the heck not, you ask?

We're told Quaid really wants to make a statement and it's not just about one hospital screw-up. The mislabeling problem has happened before -- sometimes with fatal results -- and Quaid wants to take a stand. But here's the deal. Sources tell us the hospital was holding meetings trying to figure out how to handle the problem at the same time they were keeping the info from the parents. What would you do?

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61. The reason he isn't suing the hospital is because they would settle and in the settlement agreement, he wouldn't be able to talk about it - and he wants to warn others and basically speak out about hospitals in general...

Posted at 1:06PM on Mar 17th 2008 by wasup

62. I find it repulsive that the hospital was holding risk-assessment meeting while the kids were bleeding, before the parents were even notified...and that risk management was part of the team that met the Quaids to advise them of the situation.

Posted at 4:52PM on Mar 17th 2008 by lalaloo

63. I think that the label issue isn't a mislabeling thing, but a bad label problem, where the two different concentrations are easily mixed up if not looked at closely. So it seems like there is some blame to put on the hospital as well. I agree with the poster who said that if they wouldn't have tried to "manage" the crisis from a legal standpoint before even alerting the parents, then the situation may have turned out less hostile. Going to the lawyers before the parents???? That is just awful.

Posted at 4:53PM on Mar 17th 2008 by foofydoo

64. Many people keep calling this an accident, but I think that's clearly the wrong word. This was clearly a case of negligence at many levels from the pharmacy to the nurse who gave the meds to these babies. Had someone actually read the label on the medicine, it never would have happened. Accident implies something totally different than negligence.

Posted at 5:23PM on Mar 17th 2008 by Sabrina

65. the sole responsibility is the that of the medical staff. i have used heparin and you have to be an IDIOT to get the labels mixed up. he should sue the hospital and he can sue baxter all he wants i doubt he gets anywhere.

Posted at 11:53AM on Mar 18th 2008 by anon

66. The medication was NOT mislabeled...The wrong dose was given which is the NURSES FAULT. It should be verified several times prior to being given. As the employer of the nurse the hospital is at fault. HOWEVER, in most states the R.N., who administered the medication is required to carry mal practice insurance and can be held liable also as an individual. The manufactor was not at fault in this instance b/c it was NOT mislabled

Posted at 2:33PM on Mar 19th 2008 by judy

67. He should absolutely sue

Posted at 3:21PM on Apr 5th 2008 by fox

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