Baby’s Brain Damage Suit Against Standard-of-Care Author Tossed

A pediatrician who wrote guidelines for treating newborn jaundice was dismissed from a suit over a baby’s brain injury because there was no allegation that he undertook to render services to the treating physician, a federal court said.

M. Jeffrey Maisels’ alleged failure to clarify that babies who have phototherapy to lower their bilirubin levels should have a follow-up blood test 24 hours after their hospital discharge wasn’t actionable as pleaded, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said.

The case involved M.L.A., a baby whose jaundice was treated with phototherapy at the hospital shortly after his ...