According to About Lawsuits, in December, an Ohio judge rejected a new trial request regarding a medical malpractice lawsuit involving cerebral palsy. Previously, $13.9 million dollars were awarded in the case where the doctor was found guilty of causing cerebral palsy due to issues that occurred during delivery.
Cerebral palsy occurs after an injury to an infant’s brain, resulting in a lack of oxygen to the brain during or soon after birthing. This can result in developmental issues including loss of motor functions and various additional issues that occur with cerebral palsy. However, in some children, cerebral palsy may also occur for other reasons aside from medical mistakes.
The child affected, now aged 10, suffers from cerebral palsy due to birth injury that occurred due to a forced vaginal birth. Haley Cobb, the little girl affected, cannot sit without help and requires constant care and attention.
The child’s parents, Debra and Okey Cobb both maintain that had the doctor used a cesarean section, their daughter would not have suffered.
In October 2010, a jury at Trumbull County Common Pleas Court saw in favor of the Cobbs, declaring the doctor guilty and awarding the Cobbs the nearly $14 million dollars. The Cobb family also received a $6.5 million dollar settlement in a separate case involving the Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital, the estate of Dr. Edmundo Salero and the Trumbull Anesthesia Group, Inc.
