Merson Law’s Summer 2026 newsletter highlights an $81.25 million jury verdict, involvement in a proposed $800 million-plus Archdiocese of New York settlement, nearly $12 million in settlement value in a birth injury case, continued Jeffrey Epstein survivor litigation, advocacy for survivors under New York City’s Gender Motivated Violence law, and litigation involving Marist University.
Can Birth Injuries Affect a Child for Life? Understanding Long-Term Impacts
Can a birth injury affect a child for life? When oxygen deprivation or physical trauma occurs during delivery, the consequences can span decades. From cerebral palsy and learning disabilities to brachial plexus paralysis, the long term effects of birth injuries impact a child’s mobility, emotional wellbeing, and financial security. If delivery room errors caused your child’s trauma, legal options exist.
What Is a Brachial Plexus Birth Injury? A Guide for Families
The brachial plexus is the nerve network controlling arm and hand movement. When delivery teams pull forcefully on an infant’s head during shoulder dystocia, these delicate nerves can stretch or tear, leading to conditions like Erb’s palsy. While some stretch injuries heal, severe tears require surgery. If your baby suffered nerve trauma from excessive force, you have a right to seek legal answers.
Can Failure to Recognize Fetal Distress Lead to Cerebral Palsy?
During labor, electronic fetal monitors act as a baby’s voice. If a medical team misinterprets or ignores distressing fetal heart rate patterns (such as bradycardia or late decelerations), they fail to protect the child. This prolonged oxygen deprivation causes irreversible brain cell death, often leading directly to a preventable fetal distress cerebral palsy diagnosis. You have a right to hold negligent hospitals accountable.
What Is Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)? A Guide for Parents
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) is a critical newborn brain injury caused by a profound lack of oxygen around the time of birth. Often mating with Category III fetal distress, HIE leads to irreversible brain cell death. Immediate intervention like Therapeutic Hypothermia can halt this damage, but if delivery room delays caused this trauma, you have a right to hold negligent hospitals accountable.
How Fetal Monitoring Helps Prevent Birth Injuries and Trauma
Electronic fetal monitoring acts as a baby’s voice during labor. By tracking heart rate responses to contractions, doctors can identify fetal distress before oxygen starvation occurs. However, when delivery teams misread strips or ignore alarming decelerations, a preventable fetal monitoring birth injury like HIE or cerebral palsy can result. You have a right to hold negligent hospitals accountable.
Can Shoulder Dystocia Be Prevented? Risk Factors and Medical Standards
During labor, shoulder dystocia occurs when a baby’s shoulder gets stuck behind the pelvic bone. While it is a known emergency, severe nerve damage and Erb’s palsy are often caused by a doctor pulling aggressively on the baby’s head. When a medical team applies excessive force or ignores clear macrosomia risks, it may constitute shoulder dystocia malpractice. You have a right to seek answers.
Can Failure to Order a C-Section Cause Birth Injuries?
During labor, a sudden crisis requires swift medical intervention. When an obstetrician exhibits a failure to order C-section surgery despite clear signs of fetal distress, the baby can suffer severe oxygen deprivation. This preventable delay can lead to permanent brain damage, HIE, or cerebral palsy. If your child was harmed by delivery room delays, you have a right to hold the hospital accountable.
What Is Uterine Rupture During Childbirth? Causes and Emergency Risks
A uterine rupture during childbirth is a critical delivery room emergency that threatens the lives of both mother and baby within minutes. Often occurring along a prior C-section scar, a rupture cuts off the baby’s oxygen supply and causes severe maternal hemorrhage. If medical staff delayed an emergency C-section or mismanaged labor induction, you have a right to hold them accountable.
Can Delayed Treatment of Neonatal Jaundice Cause Brain Damage?
Newborn jaundice is common, but ignoring rising bilirubin levels can be catastrophic. If hyperbilirubinemia goes untreated, toxic bilirubin can cross into the brain, causing a permanent, devastating neurological condition known as kernicterus. Because simple light therapy prevents this outcome, kernicterus is considered completely preventable. If delayed care harmed your child, you have a right to answers.
Merson Law Defeats Sean Combs and Sony Music Motion to Dismiss in Major Litigation Victory
Merson Law has secured a significant litigation victory after the New York Supreme Court denied nearly all motions to dismiss filed by Sean Combs, Sony Music Entertainment, and several related corporate defendants in Seven Guzel v. Sean Combs et al.
The decision allows Merson Law’s client to move forward with the heart of her case and continue pursuing evidence through discovery.
How Delayed Emergency C-Sections Can Lead to Birth Injuries
During a delivery crisis, every single second counts. Medical standards dictate that an emergency cesarean delivery must be performed within 30 minutes of identifying a severe complication. When a hospital delays a necessary surgical delivery, a baby can suffer catastrophic, permanent brain damage like HIE or cerebral palsy. If your child was injured by delivery delays, you have a right to answers.
What Is Fetal Hypoxia? Causes, Diagnosis, and Long-Term Outcomes
Electronic monitors act as a baby’s voice during labor. If a delivery team misinterprets these graphs, an infant can slide into fetal hypoxia—a severe state of oxygen deprivation. Leaving an infant in distress can trigger irreversible tissue damage and Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE). If a hospital’s delayed response altered your child’s future, you have a right to hold them accountable.
Can Vacuum Extraction Cause Birth Injuries? Appropriate Use and Risks
When labor stalls, a doctor may use a vacuum extractor to pull the baby out of the birth canal. However, excessive pulling or improper cup placement can lead to a catastrophic vacuum extraction birth injury, including life-threatening subgaleal brain bleeds. If a physician mismanaged your delivery or ignored instrumental safety limits, you have a right to hold the hospital accountable.
Can Birth Injuries Be Missed After Leaving the Hospital?
A passing grade at hospital discharge does not guarantee your baby is entirely safe. Many critical birth injury symptoms in a newborn remain hidden until they begin missing early milestones at home. Signs like uneven arm movements, extreme stiffness, or a high-pitched cry point to delivery room trauma. If a medical provider ignored your baby’s warning signs, you have a right to seek legal answers.
What Is Shoulder Dystocia During Childbirth? Causes and Risks
During a difficult birth, a baby’s shoulders can become physically trapped behind the mother’s pelvic bone. This emergency, known as shoulder dystocia, requires immediate, gentle maneuvers. If a physician panics and applies excessive pulling force, they can tear the baby’s delicate neck nerves, causing permanent Erb’s palsy. If your child suffered a preventable injury, you have a right to seek answers.
Can Umbilical Cord Compression Cause Cerebral Palsy?
The umbilical cord is a baby’s vital lifeline during labor. If this cord becomes pinched or compressed, the baby is instantly starved of oxygen. When a medical team fails to interpret distress signals or delays an emergency C-section, the link between umbilical cord compression cerebral palsy becomes a permanent reality. If a hospital oversight altered your child’s future, you have a right to hold them accountable.
Can Failure to Monitor a Baby During Labor Cause Birth Injuries?
Electronic fetal monitoring is a baby’s only voice during a difficult delivery. When a hospital team displays a failure to monitor baby during labor, critical warning signs of oxygen deprivation go completely unnoticed. Missing these distress signals can lead to permanent, preventable brain damage. If clinical negligence altered your baby’s future, you have a right to hold them accountable.
What Is Meconium Aspiration Syndrome? Causes and Risks
When a baby experiences stress during labor, they may release their first stool into the amniotic fluid. If the medical team delays delivery, the infant can inhale this toxic mixture, resulting in meconium aspiration syndrome. This severe respiratory emergency can cause lung damage and permanent brain injury. If medical delays altered your child’s health, you have a right to seek accountability.
Can Failure to Diagnose Jaundice Lead to Brain Damage?
While newborn jaundice is highly common and easily treated, a failure to diagnose newborn jaundice can cause devastating, permanent brain damage. When high bilirubin levels go unmonitored, they can lead to a neurological injury called kernicterus, resulting in lifelong disabilities. If a medical provider’s oversight altered your baby’s future, you have a right to hold them accountable.