On Sept. 6, 2010, plaintiff Ashley Hodson, an unemployed 28 year old, was in labor when she presented to Torrance Memorial Medical Center, where she was admitted to give birth to her child. Hodson was subsequently placed under the care of Dr. Jeffrey J. Cowan, an on-call physician at the hospital, who performed the delivery. While giving birth, Hodson suffered a uterine inversion, requiring emergency surgery following a successful delivery. Mrs. Hodson, as well her husband, Mark Hodson, and mother, Rozanne Kilpatrick, who witnessed the child birth, sued Cowan and Torrance Memorial. The Hodsons and Kilpatrick alleged that the defendants negligently performed the delivery and were negligent in the infliction of emotional distress. They also alleged that the defendants’ negligence constituted medical malpractice. Plaintiffs’ counsel argued that Cowan acted outside the standard of care during the delivery. They contended that Cowan negligently supplied excessive traction to the umbilical cord during the delivery, causing the uterine inversion and blood loss, resulting in the need to perform emergency surgery. Cowan claimed that he was not negligent and acted within the standard of care during the subject delivery. He alleged that he did not apply excessive traction to the umbilical cord and that the uterine inversion was a rare, but recognized risk of vaginal delivery., Mrs. Hodson suffered a uterine inversion and blood loss during the delivery. As a result, she required emergency surgery. Thus, she sought recovery of $5,000 in damages for her past medical costs for the emergency surgery and $250,000 in damages for her pain and suffering. Mrs. Hodson’s husband and mother sought recovery of pain-and-suffering damages as a result of having witnessed the child birth that resulted in Mrs. Hodson’s injury.