Joanna Szabo  |  July 12, 2019

Category: Birth Injury

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

baby suffering from birth injuryA jury in Maryland has brought an end to a childbirth injury trial, awarding a mother more than $229 million, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The lawsuit alleged that negligence on the part of medical staff at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center — part of the Johns Hopkins Health System — during the labor and delivery of plaintiff Erica B.’s daughter nearly five years ago resulted in significant childbirth injuries: catastrophic brain damage, kidney damage, microcephaly (an abnormally small head), cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The majority of the $229.6 million award — $200 million —  is earmarked to cover the child’s future medical expenses. Also included is compensation for past medical expenses, lost earnings, and noneconomic damages. Because of Maryland’s cap on malpractice verdicts, the amount will likely be reduced to just over $200 million.

The Johns Hopkins hospital system is expected to appeal the jury’s decision.

“Our hearts go out to this child and her family,” said a Johns Hopkins spokeswoman. “We are confident in the care this patient received and have provided ample documentation clearly demonstrating that we appropriately informed her multiple times of all the risks associated with her condition. The verdict was not supported by the evidence.”

Erica was 16 years old, and went into labor 25 weeks into her pregnancy, according to the Sun. A condition known as preeclampsia caused Erica’s blood pressure to skyrocket. According to the lawsuit, medical staff told Erica that there was little chance her baby would survive, and if she did, there was a high likelihood the baby would suffer brain damage, prompting Erica to avoid an emergency C-section.

Erica’s attorneys argued that their client was given a “mistaken” prognosis and had the C-section been performed immediately, the baby would have been born healthy.

In Maryland, childbirth injury is a hot topic. Lawmakers have attempted to pass bills requiring doctors, hospitals, and insurers to contribute to a state fund that would provide compensation for families of children who suffered childbirth injuries. The fund would help control the costs of medical malpractice suits by compensating families without an extended legal fight.

Filing a Childbirth Injury Lawsuit

More and more families are filing childbirth injury lawsuits. If you or someone you love has been subjected to negligence leading to a childbirth injury, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation. Of course, filing a lawsuit can never undo the damage,  but it may help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by the medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs associated with these problems.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation.

The cerebral palsy attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual birth injury lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you.

Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

 

Learn More

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


Get Help – It’s Free

Get Help From a Birth Injury Lawyer

We at Top Class Actions are not attorneys, but by filling out the form on this page, we will connect you to a birth injury attorney with years of experience with complex birth injury cases.

If your child was injured at birth, you may have a legal claim. Submit your information now for a free case evaluation.

A birth injury attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.

  • By submitting your information, you agree to receive communications from Top Class Actions and to be contacted by an attorney or law firm to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you if you qualify. The law firm responsible for the content of this page is LegaFi Law LLC.
  • NOTE: If your child was born before 2008, you do not qualify for this investigation.
  • Hidden
    NOTE: If your child was born before 2008, you do not qualify for this investigation.
  • Select all that apply.
  • We tell you about cash you can claim every week! Subscribe to our free newsletter today.
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
    By checking this box, I consent to receive from Top Class Actions, and the lawyers, their agents, or their co-counsel sponsoring this investigation, marketing emails, calls, or texts sent by automatic telephone dialing systems or otherwise. I understand that this authorization overrides any registrations on any Do Not Call registry(ies). I understand that consent is not a condition of purchase and that I may opt out at any time. Review Top Class Actions’ Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy here.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.