Jonathan Schochor, Hagerstown cerebral palsy lawyer, and Kerry Staton, a respected cerebral palsy attorney in Hagerstown, have spent more than four decades fighting for children hurt by medical negligence.
Our firm, Schochor, Staton, Goldberg & Cardea, P.A., has successfully recovered over $1 billion for victims since 1984. We approach every new birth injury claim with the same compassion and sense of urgency. For a free and confidential consultation, please call (410) 234-1000 or complete our secure contact form.
Hagerstown’s families rely on Meritus Medical Center and other local hospitals for safe deliveries, when preventable mistakes there cause cerebral palsy (CP), we marshal in-house medical investigators and nationally known experts to pursue justice.
“With Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea you receive exactly what’s needed…expert representation with integrity and professionalism at a time when you need it most.” – Stephanie
What Is Cerebral Palsy and Can Medical Negligence Cause It?
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong neurological condition that affects muscle control, movement, and coordination. Roughly 2 in every 1,000 U.S. births result in CP, meaning about 10,000 newborns each year begin life with significant physical challenges. CP is non-progressive, it will not worsen, but the costs and care it demands often last a lifetime.
Many cases stem from natural factors such as genetic issues or unpreventable complications. Yet medical negligence can also trigger brain damage that leads to CP. Oxygen deprivation during labor, untreated infections, or head trauma in delivery are classic examples. Not every diagnosis equals malpractice, but when evidence shows a doctor’s error caused the injury, families have legal rights to pursue compensation.
How Medical Mistakes During Birth Can Lead to Cerebral Palsy
Medical negligence can injure a baby’s brain and cause CP. Key scenarios include:
- Oxygen Deprivation (Birth Asphyxia). Failure to monitor fetal distress or to perform a timely C-section can leave a baby without oxygen long enough to cause brain injury.
- Traumatic Delivery. Excessive force with forceps or vacuum extractors can fracture the skull or cause intracranial bleeding that develops into CP.
- Untreated Severe Jaundice (Kernicterus). When dangerous bilirubin levels go unmanaged, permanent athetoid CP may follow.
- Maternal or Neonatal Infections. Undiagnosed uterine infections, meningitis, or sepsis can inflame the brain and impair motor control.
- Other Complications. Placental abruption, mismanaged breech births, and high-risk multiple pregnancies require vigilant care. Lapses can be catastrophic.
Obstetric teams are trained to prevent these outcomes. If a delivery team at Meritus Medical Center or another Western Maryland hospital fell below accepted standards, our Hagerstown cerebral palsy attorneys will uncover that failure and fight for accountability.
We Handle Every Type of Cerebral Palsy Case
Families come to us with spastic, athetoid/dyskinetic, ataxic, or mixed forms of CP, and we have secured results for each. Associated challenges, developmental delays, seizures, feeding issues, are familiar territory for our birth injury attorneys at Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea. We also pursue rare claims involving hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), brain bleeds, or kernicterus-induced CP, proving that no diagnosis is too uncommon for our legal team.
How Our Cerebral Palsy Lawyers Help Your Family
Our attorneys lead families through investigation, litigation, and resolution while they focus on caring for their child.
- Thorough Investigation. We scrutinize medical charts, fetal monitoring strips, and lab data, consult neonatologists, and leverage our in-house medical investigators to pinpoint errors.
- Legal Assessment. We explain in plain language whether the standard of care was breached and whether that breach directly harmed your child.
- Full-Service Advocacy. We file the claim, hire experts, negotiate with insurers, and, when needed, try the case before a jury. Our Western Maryland cerebral palsy lawyers prepare every file for trial from day one.
- Future-Focused Compensation. We calculate the lifelong costs of therapies, equipment, and home modifications, ensuring any settlement or verdict truly secures your child’s future.
- Compassionate Support. We connect clients to trusted specialists, social workers, and local United Cerebral Palsy resources because legal victories alone do not meet every need.
- No Fee Unless We Win. Consultations are free, and we advance all case expenses. You owe nothing unless we obtain compensation.
