Nationwide — LaChunda Hunter, an African American woman from Charlotte, North Carolina, is suing a hospital after staff told her newborn daughter had died, only for a doctor to later say the baby was alive. The conflicting messages left her questioning what truly happened to her child.
Hunter became pregnant in September 2021 after believing she would never be able to have children. During her pregnancy, doctors flagged her for high blood pressure, which led to a C-section on Feb. 13, 2022, at Novant Presbyterian Medical Center. She gave birth to a baby girl named Legacy.
Doctors discharged Hunter three days later, but Legacy remained in the neonatal intensive care unit. Hunter said hospital staff assured her that the baby was doing well despite early concerns. “She was thriving, they thought the worst, but she did well,” Hunter said, according to WCNC.
On February 19, Hunter visited the hospital and received another positive update. Staff told her Legacy was responding to antibiotics and continuing to improve. That night, Hunter received a phone call informing her that her baby had died.
The next day, Hunter returned to the hospital. Staff led her into a dark, windowless room and handed her a baby they said was Legacy. She recalled, “They brought me a baby wrapped in a whole bunch of blankets. I don’t know what the baby looked like because it was so dark.”
As Hunter began making funeral arrangements, she received another unexpected call days later. Dr. Jay Kothadia contacted her to share what he described as encouraging test results for Legacy, saying the baby’s condition had improved and that he felt optimistic. Hunter listened in shock until her assistant interrupted the call, shouting, “You told her that her baby was dead!”
The doctor hung up immediately, the lawsuit claims. After Hunter repeatedly tried to reach the hospital, another doctor later apologized and said the test results belonged to a different baby. Hospital staff blamed the mix-up on an incorrect phone number listed in the chart.
Hunter says she still does not know whether the baby she buried was actually her daughter. She pointed to inconsistencies between the baby she was shown and Legacy’s medical records, including details about breathing tubes.
“This baby doesn’t even look the same as my daughter. My daughter had clear marks on her forehead from skin and bruising. This baby does not have any marks, no sores anything,” Hunter said.
A private DNA test conducted before the funeral came back inconclusive. A second test requested by the hospital later stated the baby was hers, but Hunter questioned the result, saying she never provided a DNA sample.
“Every milestone that mothers get to experience, I have missed,” Hunter said. “She is the only child I would have physically had and I just want my daughter. I just want to know what happened.”
Hunter is suing Novant Health for negligence and emotional and financial distress. She also claims the hospital failed to fully explain what happened during her daughter’s time in the NICU. Novant Health said it takes such concerns seriously but cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws.