California Birth Injury Lawyer

Common Birth Injuries in California

A birth injury is any type of harm or injury that a child suffers right before, during, or after they are born — typically during the labor and delivery process.

Birth injuries are often the result of preventable medical errors caused by a health care professional. This is known as medical malpractice.

Common birth injuries in California include:

• Bleeding in the brain
• Brachial plexus injury
• Brain damage or swelling
• Cephalohematoma (accumulation of blood above the skull but under the scalp)
• Cerebral palsy (CP)
• Erb’s palsy
• Facial nerve injury or paralysis
• Fetal distress or lack of oxygen in the brain
• Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy or HIE (when the baby’s brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen or blood flow)
• Injuries from forceps or vacuum extraction
• Intracranial hemorrhages
• Jaundice and kernicterus (when bilirubin collects in the brain due to untreated jaundice)
• Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
• Nerve damage
• Shoulder dystocia (when one or both of the baby’s shoulders get stuck in the mother’s pelvis during delivery)
• Skull fractures or bone fractures
• Spinal cord injuries
• Stillbirths and death
• Umbilical cord strangulation

While some birth injuries may heal completely, others may call for lifelong medical care.

If you believe your child’s birth injury was caused by medical malpractice, a California birth injury lawyer may be able to help you hold negligent health care providers accountable for the harm they caused.

Let Sokolove Law Fight for You

Since 1979, Sokolove Law has secured over $962 Million for families affected by birth injuries.

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How Does Malpractice Cause Birth Injuries?

Birth injuries can often be avoided with proper medical care — but if a medical professional makes a careless mistake during the birthing process, the baby and their family suffer as a result.

Common medical mistakes that may lead to birth injuries include: 

• Excessive force during delivery
• Failure to properly assess risk factors beforehand
• Improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors
• Misdiagnosis or failure to recognize a serious medical condition

Sokolove Law has nurses on staff who can help you understand your child’s injury and if malpractice or negligence may be to blame.

Steps to File a Birth Injury Lawsuit in California

Compensation from a birth injury lawsuit can help cover the cost of your child’s treatments and improve their overall quality of life.

If you have a case, our California birth injury lawyers will handle every step of the legal process for you, so you can focus on your child’s well-being.

1. Contact Sokolove Law

Reach out to Sokolove Law and receive a free case review to determine if you may be eligible to file a California birth injury claim.

During this time, we’ll ask you a few questions about your child’s injury, so we can better understand the specifics of your situation.

2. We’ll Gather Evidence of Malpractice

If you have a case, we’ll collect medical records, testimonials from experts, test results, and anything else needed to show that your child’s birth injury was preventable.

We also have a team of registered nurses on staff that can help make sense of what may have happened to your child.

3. We’ll File Your California Birth Injury Claim

Your California birth injury lawsuit must be filed within the statute of limitations, which are a set of laws limiting how long you have to file a claim.

Once these deadlines pass, you won’t be able to file a claim or pursue compensation for your child’s injury ever again.

Contact Sokolove Law as soon as possible in order to ensure that your claim is filed on time.

4. We’ll Negotiate Birth Injury Settlements on Your Behalf

Our attorneys will negotiate a California birth injury settlement with the defendant(s), which would be the hospital or medical professionals responsible for your child’s birth injury.

The majority of cases end in a settlement, which means you may not have to step foot in court. 

If a settlement is unable to be reached, our birth injury lawyers are prepared to present your case in a trial and fight for a verdict on your behalf.

Our Past California Birth Injury Settlements

At Sokolove Law, we’ve recovered over $962 Million for birth injury victims, including children and families in California.

Some of our past California birth injury settlements and verdicts include:

• $8 Million for a child in Aliso Viejo who suffered vacuum extractor injuries at birth
• $6 Million for a child in Bakersfield with cerebral palsy
• $5.85 Million to a San Bernardino family impacted by CP
• $5.25 Million to a Los Angeles child who developed CP due to malpractice
• $5 Million for a child who suffered an injury from not breathing at birth in Palmdale
• $4.9 Million to a Culver City family impacted by CP
• $4.25 Million for a family in Long Beach affected by birth injuries from a delayed C-section
• $3.97 Million for a child with cerebral palsy in Bel Marin Keyes
• $2 Million for a child in ​​Escondido who suffered severe brain damage at birth

While California birth injury settlement amounts depend on various factors — like the severity of the injury and the cost of the child's care — our attorneys will fight for the most compensation possible in your case.  

Compensation from a birth injury lawsuit in California can help to lessen the burden of ongoing medical treatments and other costs related to your child’s injury.

Let Our California Birth Injury Attorneys Fight for You

As a national birth injury law firm with decades of experience, Sokolove Law has the resources and experience necessary to help you seek justice for your child’s injury.

Our birth injury lawyers in California are compassionate, knowledgeable, and committed to providing you with the personal attention your case deserves.

We'll take the time to understand the specific circumstances of your child’s injury and tailor our approach to meet your needs.

Let us fight for the compensation on your behalf, so you can focus on your family’s health and well-being.

Call (800) 995-1212 or fill out our contact form today for a free case review.

Birth Injury Lawyer in California FAQs