Jury Awards 14.5 Million in Cerebral Palsy Case

Johnstown, PA - In a recent cerebral palsy lawsuit, a federal jury has awarded a Pennsylvania couple $14.5 million after finding that a hospital and obstetrician had made mistakes during the delivery of their son. In the jury's decision, Dr. Thomas Carnevale and the delivery room staff at Penn Highlands' Clearfield Hospital were negligent during labor and prescribed a drug that was intended to expedite the process, but caused the child to go without oxygen for extended periods of time between the mother's contractions. According to court documents, a fetal heart rate monitor showed that the child was being deprived of oxygen, but the hospital staff failed to act. 

The jury awarded the child's parents $3 million for pain, suffering, and lost earnings. The additional $11.5 million was awarded to pay for the child's estimated future medical care, at an average of $245,000 over 47 years. The total $14.5 million decision is thought to be the largest award for any case in Johnstown's U.S. Western District Court.