Questions? 713-952-2500
Has your child been diagnosed with cerebral palsy?Get Assistance

WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY?

Cerebral Palsy is the leading cause of childhood disability in the USA, affecting around 10,000 new babies each year. At present, approximately 800,000 people, mostly children, are living with the condition.

Qualifying for a Cerebral Palsy Lawsuit

The brain injuries that cause cerebral palsy usually occur before birth, during delivery, or in the months soon after. While many cases are considered unavoidable, as many as 20% are related to medical mistakes or newborn injuries caused by a third party.

If your child’s CP is due to an avoidable medical mistake, or malpractice, they may be entitled to significantfrom a cerebral palsy lawsuit.

Many of the causes of cerebral palsy can be traced back to medical mistakes, including:

  • Severe infant jaundice
  • Oxygen deprivation during delivery
  • Fetal lead poisoning
  • Fetal infection
  • Meconium contamination in the lungs
  • Low fetal blood sugar
  • Fetal toxins              
  • Physical brain injury after birth
  • Childhood infections from bacterial meningitis or encephalitis
  • Shaken baby syndrome
  • Infant oxygen deprivation from drowning, choking, or poisoning.

In addition, some infants and children suffer brain injury from the actions of others, such as with car accidents, physical trauma or negligent childcare. These families may also be eligible to file a lawsuit.

If you suspect your child suffered brain damage from any of these factors, it is important to have a lawyer investigate your case further.

HOW CEREBRAL PALSY WORKS?

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor and movement disability. It is a neurological disorder that affects a child’s motor skills, movements, and muscle tone. Cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage that develops while the baby is still in utero, during labor and delivery, or shortly after birth.

As an umbrella term, cerebral palsy refers to a group of disorders and symptoms. While all the possible symptoms, disabilities, and complications are related, one child’s experience can be very different from another’s.

Cerebral palsy affects over 500,000 people in the U.S. There is currently no cure for it, but numerous treatments and therapies can help babies and children live quality lives that turn into successful adult lives.

SYMPTOMS & SIDE EFFECTS OF CEREBRAL PALSY

Having cerebral palsy can lead to a number of other medical conditions, depending on the severity of the disorder.

These include:

 

  • Speech problems
  • Learning disabilities
  • Cognitive impairments
  • Problems with hearing and vision
  • Epilepsy
  • Emotional and behavioral issues
  • Spinal deformities
  • Joint problems

Latest CEREBRAL PALSY News & Recalls

It can be challenging for families to recognize whether a child’s brain disorder was caused by a natural occurrence or by the mistakes of medical professionals. Even when everything goes as planned, the childbirth process is a hectic experience, and parents don’t know everything the medical team is doing.

How to know if a mistake caused Cerebral Palsy?

In some cases, a complication or mistake during delivery is so clear that parents know the moment it happens. Some signs of birth complication that parents often notice include:

  • Trauma by doctor during birth
  • Excessive force or medication
  • Trauma by delivery tools during birth
  • Emergency Caesarean section
  • Premature birth or low birth weight
  • Unprepared multiple infant births
  • Delayed or prolonged birth.

Read More

In many cases, the mistakes that occur during delivery are only noticed by medical staff, and even then, they may not be noted in the surgical report. Regardless, busy doctors may not spend the time to give parents an explanation of birth complications. Lawyers with experience in cerebral palsy lawsuits can obtain the necessary medical reports and perform a detailed review to find out if a mistake was made by doctors or hospital staff during delivery, and whether this contributed to your child’s injury.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to know if a mistake caused Cerebral Palsy?

It can be challenging for families to recognize whether a child’s brain disorder was caused by a natural occurrence or by the mistakes of medical professionals. Even when everything goes as planned, the childbirth process is a hectic experience, and parents don’t know everything the medical team is doing.

In some cases, a complication or mistake during delivery is so clear that parents know the moment it happens. Some signs of birth complication that parents often notice include:

  • Trauma by doctor during birth
  • Excessive force or medication
  • Trauma by delivery tools during birth
  • Emergency Caesarean section
  • Premature birth or low birth weight
  • Unprepared multiple infant births
  • Delayed or prolonged birth.

In many cases, the mistakes that occur during delivery are only noticed by medical staff, and even then, they may not be noted in the surgical report. Regardless, busy doctors may not spend the time to give parents an explanation of birth complications.

Lawyers with experience in cerebral palsy lawsuits can obtain the necessary medical reports and perform a detailed review to find out if a mistake was made by doctors or hospital staff during delivery, and whether this contributed to your child’s injury.

2. Are cases of mild Cerebral Palsy eligible for a lawsuit?

Whether your child’s cerebral palsy ranges from mild to severe, you’re entitled to an explanation of the cause, and to seek compensation from a lawsuit.

Cerebral palsy currently has a number of different classification systems that may describe a child’s condition in different ways. Each can be helpful depending on whether they are seeing a certain type of doctor, applying for government assistance or trying to attain proper placement in an educational program.

While the Severity Level Classification system can range from mild to moderate to severe, the Topographical Distribution System focuses on the area of the body affected and whether it results in paralysis or weakness.

Finally, the Motor Function and Gross Motor Function Classification systems focus on the ability to control certain movements.

There’s no doubt even mild cerebral palsy can have a significant impact on a child’s life.

Due to the wide range of classification systems, it’s highly likely that a case of mild cerebral palsy may qualify for a lawsuit based on the areas affected and relative loss of ability to perform certain tasks or functions. To be sure, it is important to have a lawyer review your child’s case.

3. What does it cost to file a Cerebral Palsy lawsuit?

It costs nothing to speak with a lawyer, have your case investigated, or file a claim. Only in the event you receive a settlement, trial verdict or other award would you owe a portion to your attorney.

In all 50 states, cerebral palsy lawsuits are handled on a contingency basis, meaning there are no attorney’s fees unless there is an award to the client. Most lawyer agreements also say clients are only responsible for legal costs (such as copies, travel, expert fees, filing fees, postage, etc.) if there is an award.

The amount of attorneys’ fees can vary from 33% to 40% of the amount received. This usually depends on how far the case advances and the amount of work to prepare it for trial.

While there are no up-front costs to file a cerebral palsy lawsuit, the percentage for attorneys’ fees can seem excessive to some. It’s important to remember though that your attorney will commit their own time and money to pursue your case, which can be very expensive. And, they get no compensation or repayment if it fails.

Parents should never be asked to pay a retainer fee or hourly attorney fee in order to file a claim.

4. Statute of limitations for a Cerebral Palsy lawsuit?

In every state, there are restrictions on how long you have to file a lawsuit after you or your child are injured. These laws are called Statutes of Limitation, and they can range from 2 to 6 years for adults in most states.

For claims involving minors, however, there is usually more time before legal rights expire. These cases may sometimes be filed up until children reach the age of 18 or 21. Regardless, it is important to know the Statute of Limitations for a cerebral palsy lawsuit in your state.

If you believe your child was injured by a medical mistake and you are concerned about their legal rights expiring, you should talk to a lawyer as soon as possible.

Even if there is plenty of time to file a claim, it can become harder to recover the necessary medical records or get opinions of medical experts as the case gets older. Therefore, the earlier you begin the process, the better your chance of recovery.

LAWSUITS & SETTLEMENTS

Cerebral Palsy Lawsuit Values

The results of many cerebral palsy lawsuits are bound by confidentiality agreements or aren’t disclosed. However, there have been several verdicts or malpractice settlements in recent years that can give examples of the amounts awarded.

While these cases may be samples of what a cerebral palsy lawsuit is worth, it’s important to remember that every case is different, every court has rules that may impact a case, and every jury will decide a case differently. Therefore, there isn’t an average settlement amount for cerebral palsy cases.

In the next section we’ve included some examples of recent Cerebral Palsy lawsuit verdicts.

Get Assistance

Recent Verdicts

Cerebral Palsy Lawsuit Verdicts

  • In a case decided in January 2017, a federal jury awarded the family of a young boy with severe cerebral palsy $14.5 million after concluding his doctor and hospital staff improperly administered Pitocin, a medication designed to speed up delivery. (Welker v. Penn Highlands).
  • In 2014 an Ohio jury ordered a hospital to pay a family $14.5 million to help with their son’s cerebral palsy treatment after staff there postponed the delivery, only to later perform an emergency C-section. (Stewart v MetroHealth).
  • In 2013, a court awarded $8.87 million to a family whose daughter suffered cerebral palsy brain damage, after the mother was pressured by nurses to go home and wait until the next day to give birth despite having irregular contractions.
  • In 2008, the family of a Kansas girl filed a case after their daughter suffered severe cerebral palsy during delivery. Records showed that despite signs of cord compression and oxygen deprivation, doctors and staff at Salina Regional Health Center delayed an emergency c-section for 4 hours. The case settled for $4.72 million.
  • A 2016 cerebral palsy lawsuit settled for $7.27 million in Pennsylvania after hospital staff failed to timely care for a newborn who suffered oxygen deprivation for over eight minutes during delivery. As a result, the infant suffers permanent brain damage and CP.
  • The family of an Illinois girl born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy settled their case for $12 million in 2017 after records showed the doctors and hospital staff didn’t respond to signs of a weak fetal heart rate and continued giving her mother excessive dosages of Pitocin, and failed to timely order an emergency c-section.

Cerebral Palsy Lawyers

If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, it is important to learn whether their brain injury was due to medical mistake. A lawyer can discuss your legal options, investigate your case, and preserve your rights before they expire.

The costs of lifetime medical care and damages from loss of function stemming from cerebral palsy can reach well into the millions of dollars. It is unfair that any family should carry this burden without help if another party was responsible for their child’s injury.

In addition, the lawyer you choose may have a substantial effect on your case. Typically, lawsuits for birth injuries like cerebral palsy require gathering volumes of medical records, hiring and interviewing medical experts, technical research and litigation against powerful companies.

Therefore, It is important that you choose a Cerebral Palsy lawyer with trial experience in these types of cases.

The Healthcare Advocacy Group Cerebral Palsy Center works only with attorneys that specialize in cerebral palsy lawsuits and have handled hundreds of cases. Contact us today for more information on the treatments, research or litigation related to cerebral palsy, or to speak with a lawyer. We are available 24 hours a day to help.

About the law firm

Do you have a case?