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ADNews-Monrovia, Liberia: The family of the late Lovette Tamba has filed a $25 million wrongful death lawsuit against the John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFK) and one of its attending physicians, accusing the institution and its staff of gross medical negligence that led to the death of the 26-year-old pregnant woman and her unborn child.
By Benjamin Quaye Johnson benjaminqjohnson@gmail.com
The legal complaint, submitted to the Civil Law Court in Monrovia by Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus, in collaboration with AFDASA Consultancy,details allegations of systemic failure, professional misconduct, and a subsequent attempt to suppress accountability within Liberia’s largest public hospital.
According to the lawsuit, Tamba was approximately 26 weeks into her pregnancy when she sought medical care at JFK. The family contends that her death was not only avoidable but directly caused by substandard medical attention and ethical lapses on the part of Dr. Gonkerneu Nuahn, who is named as a co-defendant in the suit.
The plaintiffs are seeking a total of $25 million in damages,$17 million from JFK, comprising $7 million in special and $10 million in general damages, and $8 million from Dr. Nuahn, including $3 million in special and $5 million in general damages.
The family argues that the tragic loss of a young mother has caused immeasurable emotional trauma and economic hardship, particularly to her four-year-old daughter, Destiny Kerkula.
But the lawsuit goes beyond clinical negligence. It accuses Dr. Nuahn of engaging in what the plaintiffs describe as a deliberate post-incident cover-up.
The physician is alleged to have threatened colleagues who might have been privy to the details surrounding Tamba’s treatment and subsequent death an effort the suit claims was meant to “conceal the facts and intimidate potential witnesses.”
“This is not just about a medical error,it is about impunity,” said a source close to the family, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We are dealing with a culture in which accountability is routinely evaded, even when lives are lost.”
Tamba, who was described by relatives as a vibrant, ambitious young woman and devoted mother, had aspirations of becoming a business owner. Her sudden death, the family says, has left a lasting psychological scar and financial burden on her daughter and dependents.
“No amount of financial compensation can restore what was taken,” the complaint states, “but justice must be served, and those responsible must be held accountable for this tragedy.”
Legal experts say the case could become a landmark moment in Liberia’s judicial handling of medical malpractice, testing not only the limits of institutional liability but also the broader issue of healthcare quality and governance in a system long plagued by underfunding and inefficiency.
As the case proceeds, it has gripped national attention and reignited urgent conversations about the state of maternal healthcare in Liberia, a country where avoidable maternal deaths remain alarmingly common, despite years of donor support and reform pledges.
The court is expected to schedule preliminary hearings in the coming weeks.
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