Case studies

We recovered a seven-figure settlement for the mother of a child who was born with an inherited chromosomal disorder: an insertion translocation between chromosomes 2 and 9.

We secured compensation of £14,000 for a 26 year old woman in respect of the physical and emotional distress she suffered as a result of complications during the birth of her first child.

We resolved a claim for damages for a family whose son died in hospital only a few hours after his birth. The mother had an uneventful pregnancy with no complications but, within hours of admission, she was noted to be suffering from pyrexia and meconium stained liquor was evident. Oxytocin was given to progress labour and the dosage increased despite a number of indications that its use was contraindicated.

Brachial plexus injuries can arise during birth, where excessive force or incorrect manoeuvres are applied to try to deliver a baby whose shoulder may be obstructed, preventing delivery.

Our client was nine days old when he suffered asphyxia because a ventilation tube became blocked, starving him of oxygen and causing permanent brain damage.

Our client suffered congenital abnormalities as a result of which he had to undergo extensive surgery shortly following his birth. The surgery itself proceeded smoothly, but after his discharge our client developed necrotising entercolitis for which he had to be readmitted.

We are pursuing this claim, in which liability is now admitted in full, on behalf of our client who was born a month before her due date. The labour was mismanaged and problems with slow heart rate were not acted on quickly enough.

We settled a claim against Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust for the neonatal death caused by an incorrect placement of a neonatal long line which penetrated the right atrium causing cardiac tamponade.

We have recently settled a claim against Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust after our client suffered a psychological injury arising from the distressing nature of her daughter’s birth, complicated by shoulder dystocia, which was neither recognised nor managed appropriately.

Our medical negligence team has recently settled a claim for over £27 million on behalf of a 10 year old child who suffers from cerebral palsy as a result of negligent care at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust.

We are representing a young boy who has athetoid cerebral palsy and hearing loss, with learning difficulties, enamel dysplasia and impaired vertical eye movements, due to his form of brain damage called kernicterus.

Our clinical negligence team has recently settled a claim for a capitalised sum of £17 million on behalf of a nine year old child who suffers from cerebral palsy as a result of negligent treatment during her birth at a London hospital.