Acuity Medical Law Represents Family in New Brunswick Stillbirth Case Featured by CBC News
In March 2026, CBC News published a report on the resolution of a medical negligence lawsuit arising from the death of a baby girl in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Our founder, Dr. Aris Lavranos, represented the family in that matter and was interviewed by CBC journalist Rachel Cave as part of the coverage. We are sharing a brief account of our involvement here, with the full CBC article linked below for those who wish to read it in its entirety.
We want to be clear at the outset that this post is not intended to publicize a legal outcome. It is intended to provide honest context about the kind of work we do, the clients we serve, and the realities of the medical malpractice legal process in Atlantic Canada. If you are a family member of those involved and you have found this page, we extend our sincere respect for your loss.
What Happened
In March 2022, Aimee Dunn arrived at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton in pain at 35 weeks pregnant. The following day, she delivered a stillborn girl, whom she and the baby’s father, Mitchell Waite, named Reia. The family alleged that the hospital and the physicians involved failed to provide the appropriate standard of care during that visit, errors they believed contributed to the loss of their daughter.
In March 2024, Dunn and Waite filed a statement of claim in the Court of King’s Bench in Fredericton, naming Horizon Health, the hospital, and four physicians as defendants. They sought compensation for pain and suffering, loss of earnings, and aggravated and punitive damages.
The matter was discontinued in December 2024 with the consent of all parties. It was resolved out of court. As is common in settled medical negligence matters, the specific terms are subject to confidentiality.
Our Role in This Case
Dr. Lavranos first encountered this file during his articling year at MacGillivray Law, where he had been asked to review potential medical malpractice matters. After reviewing the circumstances of Reia’s death, he concluded the case had merit and sought the opinions of two independent medical experts, both of whom agreed. He went on to represent Dunn and Waite through to the resolution of the matter.
When asked by CBC News about the conduct of those named in the lawsuit, Dr. Lavranos was direct: “I don’t think any of the defendants were malicious in any way. I don’t think they’re malevolent actors. The negligence that we claimed is for all sorts of errors, but I think they are largely human errors.”
That distinction matters to us. Medical negligence litigation is not about assigning moral fault or suggesting that healthcare providers acted with intent to harm. It is about determining whether the standard of care owed to a patient was met, and whether a failure to meet that standard caused harm that the law recognizes as compensable. In this case, we believed those questions warranted serious legal scrutiny, and we pursued that scrutiny on behalf of our clients.
The Broader Context: Barriers to Justice in Medical Negligence Cases
CBC News’s coverage of this matter was part of a broader examination of how difficult it is for families in New Brunswick (and across Atlantic Canada) to pursue medical negligence claims. The financial and procedural barriers to litigation in this area are real and significant.
Medical malpractice cases require expert medical opinion, extensive document review, and years of legal process. The costs of mounting a full trial, including potential adverse costs awards if a plaintiff is unsuccessful, can be prohibitive. In New Brunswick specifically, there are structural features of the litigation environment (including how costs are assessed and how physician defence is funded) that can make it difficult for families without resources to pursue these cases at all.
This is a systemic issue. Acuity Medical Law operates on a contingency fee basis precisely because we believe that access to competent medical-legal representation should not depend on a family’s financial position going in. We take on the financial risk of litigation alongside our clients. In cases where we believe the facts and the law support a claim, we pursue it, regardless of the monetary value of the file.
What We Can and Cannot Say
Out of respect for the confidentiality that typically accompanies settlements of this nature, and out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not comment on the specific terms of the resolution or on the details of the clinical allegations beyond what has already been reported publicly by CBC News. Aimee Dunn did not respond to CBC’s requests for comment following the settlement, and we support her right to privacy in how she chooses to navigate this publicly.
What we can say is that our role throughout this process was to ensure that this family had access to the legal process: that their questions were taken seriously, that the clinical record was reviewed thoroughly, and that they had representation capable of standing alongside them in a complex and emotionally demanding legal proceeding.
For Families Who Have Experienced a Similar Loss
If you or your family have experienced the loss of a child or a loved one in circumstances where you believe medical care fell short, we understand that pursuing legal action is rarely the first thing on your mind, and may never be. The grief that accompanies that kind of loss is not something a legal process can address or repair.
What the legal process can do, in appropriate cases, is provide a formal account of what happened, an independent assessment of whether the standard of care was met, and, where it was not, a means of financial acknowledgment of the harm caused. Whether to pursue that process is a deeply personal decision, and one that families should make without pressure and with the benefit of honest legal advice.
We offer a free initial consultation. We will tell you honestly what we see in a potential claim, including when we do not believe a case has sufficient merit to proceed. Our contingency fee arrangement means that if you do choose to retain us, you will not owe us anything unless we recover on your behalf.
The CBC News article covering this case can be read in full here: Woman who lost 35-week pregnancy settles lawsuit with Fredericton hospital — CBC News.
