Keeping Up With Doctors Who Move From State To State
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In 2004, Dr. Enrique Tomeu abruptly closed his obstetrics practice in Virginia Beach
and left the area after multiple medical malpractice suits were filed
against him for allegedly injuring babies during delivery. It now seems
that the worst may have been yet to come.
Tomeu practiced in New Zealand
for a year when he was found at least partly responsible for the death
of a baby by a coroner. After being relieved of his duties, he turned
up in North Carolina, continuing to practice medicine.
This case newly illustrates that despite recent reforms, it is
possible for a doctor to remain ahead of their medical malpractice
records by moving.
Virginia Beach Circuit Court records show that Tomeu had been named
as a defendant in seven malpractice suits over a 10 year period. Three
of the cases resulted in payments to the plaintiffs on two settlements
and one jury verdict. The three cases totaled over $500,000.
In each case, the circumstances were similar. In each, the babies
Tomeu delivered allegedly suffered shoulder dystocia, which occurs when
the baby’s shoulder is caught behind the pelvic bone of the mother
during delivery. In that position, the nerves connecting the shoulder,
arm, and hand of the baby to the spinal cord can be stretched, torn, or
pulled from the spinal column.
The injury is the most common among deliveries of large babies and
can cause the condition of Erb’s palsy, which is a form of paralysis
that leaves the shoulder, arm, and hand permanently disabled.