Johns Hopkins Hospital is a world-renowned medical institution that has been at the forefront of many cutting-edge medical advances. However, even the best hospitals make mistakes and over the years there have been a number of Johns Hopkins cerebral palsy settlements where families have successfully won financial damages from the institution on account of their child’s birth injury. Learn about one family who successfully recovered $55 million in a Johns Hopkins cerebral palsy settlement in today’s blog.
Johns Hopkins cerebral palsy settlements
In June of 2012, a Baltimore couple was awarded $55 million in an agreement reached in what is the latest of Johns Hopkins cerebral palsy settlements. The couple’s son was born with cerebral palsy that they claim, and jurors agreed, was caused by the medical center staff’s negligence. The mother, Rebecca Fielding, originally planned to give birth to her son, Enzo, at home but when she experienced complications due to him getting stuck in the birth canal, she quickly went to Johns Hopkins Hospital for what she assumed would be a quick and routine C-section.
When she arrived at the hospital, she was bewildered to be forced to wait over 2 hours before the staff finally delivered her baby. Mrs. Fielding told reporters that the staff claimed to be waiting on necessary blood tests before they could begin the procedure . After Enzo was born with cerebral palsy, Mrs. Fielding and her husband hired an expert who concluded that Enzo’s delayed C-section deprived his brain of oxygen which caused his cerebral palsy. This was one of the largest Johns Hopkins cerebral palsy settlements ever reached.
Cerebral palsy is the most common disorder affecting children in the US and over half a million Americans are currently living with CP. There is no known cure for cerebral palsy so children who are born with the disorder face a lifetime of medical bills and health complications.