The challenges of a cerebral palsy diagnosis can overwhelm any family. Our Chillum cerebral palsy lawyer Jonathan Schochor and birth-injury attorney Kerry Staton have spent decades helping children harmed by medical negligence. We listen, explain options in plain language, and shoulder the legal work so parents can focus on their child’s care.
From our Baltimore office, we proudly serve families across Prince George’s County, including Chillum, with in-home and virtual consultations when travel feels impossible. By combining respected trial experience with genuine compassion, the Chillum cerebral palsy attorneys at Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A. fight for the resources that give injured children a chance to thrive.
Jonathan Schochor, Founding Partner
Jonathan Schochor co-founded Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A. in 1984 with a mission to give victims of medical negligence the strongest voice possible. Over four decades, he has led more medical-malpractice filings than any other lawyer or firm in Maryland, recovered well over a billion dollars for clients, and guided the record-setting class-action settlement in state history.
Kerry D. Staton, Founding Partner
Kerry Staton launched the firm alongside Jonathan Schochor to raise the bar for plaintiff advocacy in complex medical-malpractice and mass-tort litigation. Named “Lawyer of the Year” by *Best Lawyers in America* and “Trial Lawyer of the Year” by Top 100 Lawyers, Kerry is widely respected for his strategic insight and compassionate client care.
Call us now at (410) 234-1000 for a free, no-obligation case review and let our Chillum cerebral palsy lawyers fight for the resources your child deserves.
Was My Child’s Cerebral Palsy Caused by Medical Malpractice?
Medical negligence can, and often does, cause preventable cerebral palsy. If doctors missed clear signs of fetal distress, delayed a needed C-section, or misused delivery tools, their errors may have deprived your baby of oxygen long enough to damage the developing brain. Conversely, some CP stems from unavoidable genetic or prenatal factors.
A thorough review of prenatal records, fetal monitor strips, and delivery notes helps our Maryland CP attorney Jonathan Schochor and his team pinpoint what really happened. When evidence shows a preventable injury, we build a case that holds every responsible hospital, obstetrician, nurse, or midwife fully accountable.
What Is Cerebral Palsy and Why Does It Happen?
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong motor disability caused by brain damage before, during, or shortly after birth. About one in 345 U.S. children lives with CP. Common triggers include prolonged oxygen deprivation (hypoxia), untreated infections, or direct trauma to an infant’s head. Types of CP, spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic, or mixed, vary in severity and symptoms.
Early interventions such as physical therapy, medication, and assistive technology improve function, but treatment costs can exceed $1 million over a lifetime. We explain the medical science in everyday terms so parents understand whether their child’s history suggests negligence.
Birth Injuries and Medical Errors That Lead to Cerebral Palsy
Preventable CP usually traces back to a specific delivery or newborn error. Our cerebral palsy trial attorneys often see patterns such as:
- Oxygen deprivation during labor: Ignoring abnormal heart rates or stalling an emergency C-section can leave a baby without vital oxygen.
- Improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors: Excessive traction may fracture the skull, bleed inside the brain, or shear fragile nerves.
- Umbilical-cord complications: A prolapsed or tightly wrapped cord demands immediate action to restore blood flow.
- Untreated maternal conditions: Failing to manage high blood pressure, infection, or placental abruption endangers both mother and child.
- Post-delivery lapses: Neglecting severe jaundice, newborn seizures, or respiratory distress can cement brain damage within hours.
- Uncommon but devastating mistakes: Anesthesia errors that starve the fetus of oxygen, or accidental drops causing head trauma, occasionally appear in our investigations.
Our Chillum CP legal advocates scrutinize every second of the prenatal timeline to uncover these failures and prove causation.
How Can a Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Help My Family?
Legal action feels daunting. We make it manageable. First, our Chillum birth-injury attorneys offer a free, confidential case review. Next, our medical experts, obstetricians, neonatologists, neurologists, scrutinize every chart entry, imaging study, and fetal-monitor reading. Then our litigation team drafts a Certificate of Merit, files suit, and pursues records, depositions, and expert testimony.
Because we prepare every matter for trial, hospitals often settle sooner and for more. Throughout, we arrange liens, negotiate with insurers, and connect families to local support programs, therapists, and assistive-technology suppliers. You focus on your child. Our Maryland birth-injury attorneys handle everything else.
What Compensation Can We Recover in a Cerebral Palsy Lawsuit?
Financial recovery should match lifelong needs. A successful claim can cover:
- Medical expenses: Hospitalizations, surgeries, medications, durable equipment, and all therapies.
- Care and education costs: In-home nursing, respite care, specialized schooling, home or vehicle modifications.
- Lost income: Wages a parent sacrifices to provide full-time care, plus diminished future earnings.
- Pain and suffering: Maryland caps these non-economic damages, yet our cerebral palsy litigator Jonathan Schochor maximizes recovery within statutory limits.
Given that the CDC pegs lifetime CP care at more than a million dollars, our cerebral palsy litigation team aims for settlements or verdicts in the hundreds of thousands, or millions, of dollars.
