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Mom settles in death of baby born in jail

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published March 11, 2007

TAMPA - A woman who sued Hillsborough County over the death of her baby, born over a jail cell toilet even though she complained of labor pains for nearly 12 hours, has received a $350,000 settlement.

Kimberly Grey received the money in the fall, according to records. Grey kept $104,000. The rest went to attorney fees and court costs, her attorney, Mike Trentalange, said.

The settlement with the Sheriff's Office removed the office as a defendant in an ongoing federal civil rights lawsuit Grey filed in December 2004. Grey was released from state prison in November, having served nearly two years for prostitution.

The sheriff's office decided to pay what it considered a reasonable settlement rather than face continued litigation costs, Chief Deputy Jose Docobo said.

Nurses were giving Grey a pelvic exam when the boy was born over the toilet; he died on the way to Tampa General Hospital. Grey's lawsuit claimed officials were indifferent to the newborn's medical distress.

The supervising nurse on duty during the birth was fired. Two other nurses were barred from working at the jail. The time an obstetrician works at the jail was doubled to four hours weekly. A nurse practitioner or midwife works 20 hours a week.

Caregivers now must examine every pregnant inmate within 24 hours of incarceration.

[Last modified March 11, 2007, 01:32:20]