July 9, 2009Jury awards $31M verdict in cerebral palsy lawsuit
A jury in Ohio has awarded the family of a child born with cerebral palsy $31 million in their lawsuit against the hospital where he was born. The jury agreed with claims by the family of Leondo Stanziano that negligence on the part of the hospital caused him to develop cerebral palsy symptoms as a result of his birth injuries.Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by brain injuries that occur before, during or immediately after the delivery process. Patients with cerebral palsy may experience symptoms including seizures, impaired senses, limited cognitive abilities or problems with muscle coordination or movement control.
Stanziano was born on December 11, 2008 at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. According to the family’s lawsuit, the child was deprived of oxygen for 18-20 minutes during the delivery process, causing him to develop permanent brain damage.
Jurors agreed with the family’s claims that hospital staff knew that the child’s mother was at an increased risk of a ruptured uterus during delivery, but failed to properly monitor the child’s condition. The lawsuit also alleged that staff used the drug Pitocin to induce labor even after the mother’s uterus had become hyper-stimulated, causing it to rupture.
The $31 million verdict is believed to be the largest ever awarded in Ohio for a birth injury lawsuit.