Lawyer welcomes client’s praise for Irish legal system

The lawyer acting for a family that sued the hospital where their child suffered widespread brain damage has welcomed their praise for the Irish legal system.

The High Court has heard that Jude Miley, now four years old, will receive at least €1.8 million in damages after a lack of candour on the part of the hospital led to widespread brain damage.

At six months old, the child underwent surgery after which a suture remained untrimmed, causing damage to the heart muscle.

This later caused a heart attack which necessitated emergency surgery. It became apparent afterwards that Jude had suffered brain damage described as “permanent and catastrophic” by his family.

In a statement, Jude’s father, Greville Miley, said there was a “lack of honesty and frankness” from the hospital after the incident.

He continued: “We are so lucky in this country that we have a court system capable of recalibrating the inequality that exists between the injured patients and the powerful medical profession.

“We were misled and stonewalled. Only for the legal system, we don’t believe we would have achieved what has been accomplished here today. A lot of people criticise the legal system, but we can’t compliment it enough. It has worked for Jude.

“What didn’t work for Jude however was the failure of the hospital to engage with us and with the legal system in an honest, open and integral fashion. If they had done so, our journey would have been so much easier and Jude rehabilitated far sooner.”

Jude’s solicitor, Ernest Cantillon of Cantillon Solicitors, added: “So often we have lawyers criticised. It is nice to see the system praised, because the system did work in this case.”