A family is joining a class-action lawsuit against Seattle Children's hospital as their 5-month-old daughter battles for her life after falling ill from Aspergillus mold during surgery at the facility, KIRO 7 reports.
The suit was filed Dec. 2 on behalf of children allegedly sickened by the hospital mold, according to KIRO 7, and claims Seattle Children's "engaged in years of cover-up designed to reassure its patients, doctors, nurses and the public that its premises were safe, when in fact they were not."
Katha and Micah Hutt have joined the class-action suit, saying their daughter, Elizabeth Hutt, contracted Aspergillus during one or both of her surgeries in August or November 2019 at Seattle Children's. The surgeries occurred in between operating room shutdowns due to mold outbreaks at the facility.
The Washington State Department of Health completed an on-site investigation at the hospital, it announced in a Jan. 8 statement. The investigation found Seattle Children's in compliance with all regulations regarding governance, physical environment, infection control and quality assurance. However, the department verified the presence of mold, stating that "serious mitigation efforts" are currently underway to address the issue.