Who Are Jonathan Schochor and Kerry Staton, and How Do They Help Odenton Families Facing Cerebral Palsy?
Jonathan Schochor and Kerry Staton are veteran Maryland trial lawyers who focus on birth-injury malpractice. Our Odenton cerebral palsy lawyers have spent more than four decades holding hospitals and doctors accountable when preventable mistakes harm newborns.
We know a cerebral palsy (CP) diagnosis changes every part of family life, and we use that understanding to guide legal strategy and client care. Our team at Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A. blends legal skill with medical insight.
Contact (443) 909-2792 today to arrange a complimentary consultation with a cerebral palsy lawyer in Odenton. When cerebral palsy results from medical mistakes, we strive to obtain financial support for ongoing therapy, essential equipment, and specialized education, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to lead their best life.
What Is Cerebral Palsy, and Can Medical Negligence Cause It?
Cerebral palsy is a permanent disorder of movement and posture that starts with brain damage before, during, or shortly after birth.
Natural complications sometimes cause CP, but avoidable medical mistakes, especially oxygen deprivation, remain a leading trigger.
When an obstetric team ignores fetal distress, delays an emergency C-section, or mishandles a newborn who is struggling to breathe, that breach of duty can injure delicate brain tissue in seconds.
If you delivered at a hospital near Odenton and now face a CP diagnosis, our Odenton birth-injury attorneys will trace the timeline and discover whether negligence played a role.
How Do Medical Errors Lead to Cerebral Palsy in Newborns?
Medical errors lead to cerebral palsy by depriving a baby’s brain of oxygen or causing direct trauma during labor and delivery.
Common mistakes we see in Odenton CP cases:
- Delayed C-section: Doctors see signs of fetal distress but wait too long to operate, allowing hypoxia to injure the brain.
- Failure to monitor or respond: Nurses overlook alarming heart-rate strips or doctors fail to act on abnormal readings.
- Improper forceps or vacuum use: Excessive force or incorrect angle fractures the skull or bleeds inside the brain.
- Mismanaged prolonged labor: Labor stalls, pressure builds, and oxygen falls while staff hope things improve on their own.
- Umbilical-cord complications ignored: A looped cord cuts off oxygen, yet no one intervenes until damage is done.
Less-common but equally devastating scenarios:
- Untreated jaundice (kernicterus): Severe bilirubin levels go unchecked, poisoning brain cells.
- Maternal infections unaddressed: Rubella, CMV, or chorioamnionitis passes to the baby because prenatal testing or antibiotics were skipped.
- Botched newborn resuscitation: Staff miss the “Golden Minute,” delay ventilation, or misplace the breathing tube.
Whether negligence happened at Anne Arundel Medical Center, UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center, or another facility serving Odenton families, our experienced Odenton cerebral palsy lawyers uncover the truth and press for accountability.
What Challenges Do Families Face After a Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis?
Families face emotional upheaval and staggering costs when a child has CP. Daily realities include multiple therapies, adaptive equipment, and frequent specialist visits that strain time and finances.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates average lifetime CP care tops $1 million, and severe cases easily exceed $3 million.
Parents often reduce work hours, siblings juggle changed routines, and ordinary homes require costly modifications for ramps, lifts, and wider doorways.
When malpractice caused the condition, justice demands the negligent provider, not the family, shoulder these lifetime expenses.
How Can a Cerebral Palsy Lawsuit Help Secure Your Child’s Future?
A cerebral palsy lawsuit converts proof of negligence into resources that improve life for your child now and decades from now.
Compensation may cover:
- Medical and hospital bills, past and future
- Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
- In-home nursing, respite care, and special-education services
- Wheelchairs, communication devices, and home renovations
- Lost household income and benefits
- Pain, suffering, and loss of life enjoyment
In one Maryland birth-injury case, our firm secured a multi-million-dollar verdict that funds 24/7 professional care and state-of-the-art therapy for a child with spastic quadriplegia.
No sum erases what happened, but adequate compensation guarantees opportunities and dignity your child might otherwise lose.
Do You Need a Lawyer to Pursue a Cerebral Palsy Malpractice Case?
Cerebral palsy malpractice litigation is complex, and families succeed far more often with specialized counsel.
Why working with our Odenton cerebral palsy attorneys matters:
- Mastery of medical-legal rules: Maryland requires a qualified expert’s certificate before filing suit. We secure those affidavits and meet every procedural deadline.
- Proving causation: We link each medical record entry to expert opinions that translate hospital jargon into clear evidence for judges and juries.
- Leveling the field: Hospitals and insurers hire aggressive defense teams. Jonathan Schochor and Kerry Staton match that firepower and often out-prepare the opposition.
- Contingency representation: We advance all costs and collect a fee only if we recover money for your family, so anyone can afford elite legal help.
While you focus on therapy appointments and school meetings, we focus on depositions and courtroom strategy.
How Do You Prove a Cerebral Palsy Medical Malpractice Claim in Maryland?
Proving a cerebral palsy claim in Maryland requires clear evidence of duty, breach, causation, and damages.
- Duty: Every delivering physician and nurse owes a standard of reasonable care.
- Breach: We show how competent providers would have acted differently—such as ordering a prompt C-section.
- Causation: Pediatric neurologists and obstetric experts explain how that breach caused the brain injury.
- Damages: Economists and life-care planners quantify lifelong needs, from wheelchairs to vocational support.
State law adds two technical steps: filing with the Maryland Health Care Alternative Dispute Resolution Office and attaching a Certificate of Qualified Expert. Our Odenton CP attorneys handle both requirements, then move the case into court if settlement talks stall.
Families generally have five years from injury or three years from discovery to sue, so early legal review preserves the right to recover.
What If I’m Not Sure Whether Medical Negligence Caused My Child’s Cerebral Palsy?
Many parents never receive a straight answer about what went wrong in the delivery room. That uncertainty is exactly why we offer a free, no-obligation case review.
Our legal nurses dissect fetal-monitoring strips, medication logs, and neonatal charts for red flags like prolonged decelerations or delayed intubation notes. If we find malpractice, we outline next steps. If not, you gain peace of mind and can focus on your child’s progress without lingering doubt. Either way, the conversation is private, compassionate, and cost-free.
How Have Our Attorneys Helped Families Like Yours?
Our firm’s greatest honors come from the families we serve.
“Kerry Staton and Josh Kahn handled my case extremely well. From the first contact up to the outcome, along with team (sic), they were very professional and provided great counsel.” –Laetitia M
Maryland Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and Martindale-Hubbell’s AV rating all recognize the relentless advocacy Jonathan Schochor and Kerry Staton bring to each cerebral palsy lawsuit. Families across Anne Arundel County trust us because we combine courtroom skill with genuine care.
Where Can Odenton Families Turn for Help with a Cerebral Palsy Legal Claim?
Families in Odenton are minutes from seasoned birth-injury counsel. Our office at 1211 St Paul St, Baltimore, MD 21202 sits just up MD-32 and I-97, and we routinely meet clients in Seven Oaks, Piney Orchard, and Fort Meade.
Call (443) 909-2792 today to schedule a free consultation with an Odenton cerebral palsy lawyer. There are no fees unless we win, and every case starts with a conversation about your child’s needs and your goals.
Your family has carried the weight of this diagnosis long enough. Let Jonathan Schochor, Kerry Staton, and the dedicated cerebral palsy attorneys at Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea fight for the justice, and resources, your child deserves.