Donahue & Horrow Secures $7.875 Million Settlement in Riverside Birth Injury Medical Malpractice Case

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Donahue & Horrow LLP has secured a $7,875,000 settlement in a Riverside, California, medical malpractice and birth injury case involving permanent neurological injuries to a now 4-year-old child. The case was brought against a hospital and the delivering physician after allegations that prolonged fetal distress and inadequate fetal monitoring led to severe oxygen deprivation during labor and delivery.

The child was born in March 2022 following a vaginal delivery after a prolonged period of fetal distress. According to allegations in the case, monitoring failures delayed appropriate intervention before delivery. The child was born severely depressed, hypoxic, and acidotic, required full resuscitation and intubation, and was transferred to another hospital for a higher level of care, including therapeutic cooling. The child later experienced seizures, and MRI findings showed hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, commonly known as HIE.

HIE is a serious brain injury that can occur when a baby’s brain does not receive adequate oxygen and blood flow around the time of birth. In this case, the injury has had permanent consequences. The child has significant developmental delay and hearing loss related to HIE. He did not walk until 20 months of age and continues to fall frequently. He also has fine motor delays, significant cognitive deficits, expressive and receptive language deficits, and intellectual disability.

The settlement is intended to help provide for the child’s lifelong needs. Based on the injuries and prognosis developed in the case, the child will require 24/7 supervision for life and is not expected to be gainfully employed. The result reflects the seriousness of the injuries and the long-term planning required when a preventable birth injury affects every stage of a child’s development.

Birth injury medical malpractice cases require detailed review of prenatal records, fetal monitoring strips, labor and delivery notes, neonatal records, imaging, and expert analysis. Donahue & Horrow’s medical malpractice team has built a focused practice around catastrophic injuries, birth injuries, wrongful death, and adult brain injuries, with particular experience in cases involving HIE, oxygen deprivation, and lifelong care needs.

This settlement follows other significant birth injury results secured by the firm, including back-to-back $8 million settlements for two families in birth injury medical malpractice cases and a $6 million birth injury settlement that helped provide for a child’s lifelong care.

This is why retaining counsel or referring to a firm that specializes in birth injury medical malpractice cases and has over twenty years of experience in this specialty matters.

Donahue & Horrow’s approach to birth injury litigation combines medical record analysis, expert review, and compassionate guidance for families navigating complex and life-changing harm. In cases involving fetal distress, delayed intervention, HIE, and permanent neurological injury, the firm evaluates whether the care provided met the applicable standard of care and whether earlier recognition or action could have changed the outcome.

The firm’s attorneys work with credible medical experts to assess causation, the child’s future needs, and the economic and non-economic impact of the injury. These cases require a full understanding of the child’s anticipated medical care, therapies, supervision needs, developmental challenges, assistive support, and long-term quality of life.

About Donahue & Horrow LLP

Donahue & Horrow LLP is a California-based law firm with decades of experience representing policyholders in ERISA disability denials, long-term disability denials, insurance bad faith cases, and medical malpractice claims. The firm has recovered over $500 million for clients and is recognized for its detailed understanding of insurance law, careful case preparation, and dedicated advocacy for individuals and families.