Oregon parents seek $36M in water-birth lawsuit

PORTLAND, Ore. — The parents of a boy with cerebral palsy seek $36 million in a lawsuit against an Oregon hospital system, alleging it misrepresented the risks of a water birth.

An amended complaint filed Wednesday in Portland also asks a judge to stop Legacy Health System from performing water births.

The lawsuit states Luca Marino was born at a Portland hospital in December 2011. His parents, Matthew Marino and Amy Benton, allege the hospital wrongly stated that water births carry less risk than traditional births and Benton was a good candidate.

The suit says the hospital allowed midwives and nurses to manage the delivery without an obstetrician.

Legacy’s attorney, Robert Keating, didn’t immediately return a phone message. A Legacy spokesman told The Oregonian the health system doesn’t comment on lawsuits.

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