Brain Damage Lawsuit Settled for $15.35M in Illinois

Chicago Tribune reports on May 20, 2008:

"AURORA, Ill. - An Aurora mother has settled a malpractice lawsuit for $15.35 million with a hospital and doctor after her son suffered brain damage at birth six years ago."

Read full article here: Aurora mother settles malpractice lawsuit for $15.35...

Cerebral Palsy Lawsuits No Slam Dunk

This week in Tennessee, The Daily News Journal reported on a medical negligence civil lawsuit where after 24 days of trial, 37 witnesses, a Jury finds no medical negligence in a $40 million lawsuit filed for child who suffers from severe brain damage, cerebral palsy, developmental delay and seizures.

"We are gratified of the jury's decision," said C.J. Gideon, lead attorney who represented Ellington and Murfreesboro Medical Clinic. "It was clearly the right decision. The proof was overwhelming that Dr. Ellington did precisely what she was supposed to do and that she did not injure this child."

Read news article for more details... Also, another article at The Murfreesboro Post...

Birth Damage Brings $22.6 Million in Ohio

A Hamilton County, Ohio jury found a physician and her doctors group negligent in the case of a baby who was stuck in the birth canal for 13 and 1/2 hours during delivery. According to a report in the Cincinnati Enquirer,

"In addition to being a big baby in a small canal, the baby's injuries also were caused because medical workers ... continued to give the mother drugs to make the uterus contract, hoping to expel the baby. The result was a uterus contracting on the baby's stuck head, causing brain damage.

For more details, read the full article here.

Hospitals, Experts Collaborate To Eliminate Preventable Birth Injuries

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Premier healthcare alliance today announced a 21-month national collaborative designed to achieve the consistent delivery of evidence-based care with the goal of eliminating preventable birth-related injuries and deaths.

The Premier Perinatal Safety Initiative is comprised of 16 of the country's leading hospitals, representing 12 states, in which approximately 115,000 babies will be delivered over the course of the collaborative. The initiative seeks to significantly lower the incidence of certain infrequent though serious injuries that could result in birth asphyxia, cerebral palsy or permanent neurologic disability.

“Infants in the United States experience close to three birth injuries for every 1,000 births, many of which are preventable, and the U.S. ranks near the bottom of industrialized nations in infant mortality,” said Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., co-founder and co-chair, Congressional Caucus on Infant Health and Safety. “We are hopeful that this study will help identify best practices and help share them across all hospitals so as to reduce harm to infants and mothers.”

Read the entire announcement: Leading Hospitals, Healthcare Experts Collaborate to Eliminate Preventable Birth Injuries...

Air Force Pays $5M for Childbirth Malpractice

The Air Force has paid a civilian employee $5 million for severe brain damage suffered by his baby during childbirth at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan.

Factors in the case: a ruptured uterus depriving baby of oxygen for a prolonged time. The child now suffers from spastic cerebral palsy and blindness and requires a feeding tube. According to Patrick Malone, the family’s attorney, the claim was brought "under the Military Claims Act alleging that a nurse midwife ... was grossly negligent and guilty of malpractice for trying to manage a complex and high-risk delivery without calling in an obstetrician." Full article cite.

Illinois: Jury Awards $2.34M for Birth Injury

Lake County, Illinois — A jury awards $2.35 million to a boy injured at birth. According to the Lake County News Sun, the boy suffered "severe nerve damage causing permanent disability while at Vista Medical Center East in 2004." The jury found that the doctor "was responsible for pulling too hard on the boy's head and neck when his shoulder became stuck on the mother's pubic bone." The boy will require physical and occupational therapy for his lifetime. Read entire article: Boy gets $2.35M for birth injury.

Cerebral Palsy Settlement Is $1.35M in Virginia

The Associated Press reports that a Virginia couple has settled a lawsuit with the University of Virginia Medical Center for $1.35 million in a case stemming from the September 2001 birth of child who has cerebral palsy and brain damage from being asphyxiated at birth.

Read article here.... - - - (VT Birth injury attorney)