$11.5M settlement in Virginia over Navy hospital birth

NORFOLK, Va. – The federal government has agreed to pay $11.5 million to settle a medical negligence lawsuit by a Virginia couple involving the birth of their son five years ago at a military hospital in Guam.

A federal judge on Friday approved the monetary settlement to help the parents care for their child, who suffers severe and permanent brain damage.

The Virginia-Pilot of Norfolk reports Deardre and Daniel Bebeau Sr. — Navy petty officers living in Virginia Beach — sued for malpractice after their son was born in 2014 at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Guam. They were stationed there at the time.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney for Eastern Virginia — who defended the government — declined comment. Court documents show defence attorneys stressed there was no admission of wrongdoing.