$1,000,000,000 
Over One Billion Recovered 
for Families Like Yours

$144,585,020

Cerebral Palsy

In 2011, Beam Legal Team achieved one of the highest birth injury verdicts in American history. A jury in Detroit found that the labor and delivery nurses, obstetrician, and residents committed several negligent acts during both the prenatal and labor and delivery periods. Medical staff failed to properly estimate the weight of the Baby Markell, and later erred again when they mixed up two patients, causing them to believe that Markell’s mother was having a 7 pound baby when Markell was actually nearly 11 pounds. The doctors proceeded to administer Pitocin instead of delivering the child via C-section, resulting in severe injury to the baby. Baby Markell was born with significant brain hemorrhages, a broken clavicle, and significant bruising. William Beaumont hospital records indicate a “difficult vaginal delivery” with “scalp and facial bruising and swelling” and “occasional tremors [seizures].”

Oakland County, Michigan

$55,500,000

Medical Malpractice

On October 11, 2023, after more than 10 hours of deliberation, a unanimous Cook County jury awarded $55,500,000 to Shamond Butler for severe and permanent damages he suffered as a result of a brain injury during birth against the University of Illinois Medical Center physicians. Matthew Patterson of Beam Legal Team, LLC tried the case over three weeks.

On October 11, 2023, after more than 10 hours of deliberation, a unanimous Cook County jury awarded $55,500,000 to Shamond Butler for severe and permanent damages he suffered as a result of a brain injury during birth against the University of Illinois Medical Center physicians. Matthew Patterson of Beam Legal Team, LLC tried the case over three weeks. Shamond Butler, now 20 years old, suffered severe brain damage when the resident and fellow-in-training physicians at the University of Illinois Medical Center, Defendants Monique Schoenhage, M.D. and Michelle Kominiarek, M.D., wrongfully, improperly and against drug label warnings and Hospital policy overdosed Shamond’s mother with a High-Alert drug which caused Shamond to be deprived of oxygen, asphyxiating him during delivery. As a result of the medical errors, Shamond is permanently disabled and will require 24/7 care for the rest of his life.

Illinois

$53,000,000

Cerebral Palsy

A jury has rejected the “unknown infection” argument presented by the defense and awarded more than $50 million to the Ewing family after a birth injury caused Isaiah Ewing’s cerebral palsy.

In 2004, Lisa Ewing went to the hospital after noticing her baby was moving less than usual. A first-year resident was able to diagnose fetal distress within minutes, but no practicing doctor saw Lisa for more than 11 hours. It was over 12 hours before a cesarean section was performed and it was discovered Isaiah was not breathing. He was in critical condition for four weeks before being released, suffering brain damage and cerebral palsy as a result of the lack of oxygen to his brain.

The Ewings sued the hospital in 2013, arguing that the staff failed to recognize fetal distress and perform a cesarean section in a timely manner, which may have saved Isaiah from the condition he now lives with. The hospital argued that Isaiah was born with normal oxygen levels in his blood and thus the injury occurred before Lisa came to the hospital, caused by an “unknown infection.”

However, the hospital could not identify the infection and couldn’t provide any further information about it. Nonetheless they continued to insist it was there and was the reason for the injury. Jack Beam of Beam Legal Team, one of the attorneys for the Ewing family, argued “Their sole defense was that an infection during Lisa’s pregnancy caused cerebral palsy. Our experts disagreed, and the university’s own pediatric infectious disease specialist had looked for—but ruled out—infection.”

The jury ruled in favor of the Ewings, awarding $53 million, including just under $29 million for future life care costs, $7 million for medical expenses, and more. The Ewing family now will not have to worry about Isaiah’s future, knowing Lisa, a single mother, can afford to give him the care and constant supervision he needs.

The hospital has since moved to declare a mistrial, contending that the closing arguments deprived the hospital of a fair trial. That motion was rejected and the verdict was entered. However, the hospital has once again filed a motion for a new trial, which will be completed by the end of this year.

Cook County, Illinois

$31,600,000

Cerebral Palsy

A Midland Jury, sitting in the courtroom of Hon. Stephen Carras awarded a verdict against Mid-Michigan Medical Center in the amount of $31,600,000.00, on behalf of a brain-damaged child. Kendall Berthiaume was born on December 20, 2018. The Fetal Monitor Strips showed the baby was in fetal distress and needed to be born by immediate C-section due to Pitocin-driven excessive uterine activity. The Pitocin was not stopped, and delivery was not timely done, and Kendall suffered severe brain damage from a lack of oxygen as a result. Kendall is now 4 years old and has spastic quadriplegia, cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder. Matthew Patterson and Jack Beam of Beam Legal Team tried the case for three weeks.

Midland County, Michigan

$30,000,000

Brain Injury

In Cleveland, Ohio, Beam Legal Team won a record $30 million for a brain damaged 17-year-old boy. A Cuyahoga County jury found that the obstetrician, along with the now defunct hospital, were negligent in neglecting to deliver baby Walter Hollins earlier. Witnesses testified that Walter’s mother waited for two hours to receive an “emergency” Caesarian section. During that time, the flow of oxygen to Baby Walter’s brain was devastatingly reduced. This hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and ischemia (lack of blood) combined to cause Walter’s cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia. Walter will forever be wheelchair-bound. He requires 24-hour care and is entirely dependent upon his mother and his other care givers for even the most basic human needs.

Cuyahoga County, Ohio

$26,000,000

Brain Injury

Beam Legal Team secured a $26 million verdict for Ryan Taylor, an infant whose hypoglycemia went undiagnosed and untreated. In this case, the doctors and hospital in Washington County, Pennsylvania, violated their own policies and procedures, which required a newborn to be monitored and screened for low blood sugar. All this newborn baby needed was a little sugar water in the nursery. Instead, Ryan went uncared for so long that he suffered severe hypoglycemia, which resulted in seizures, cerebral palsy, and permanent brain damage. Consequently, Ryan will need 24-hour care for the rest of his life. Before the jury verdict, the defendant’s doctors and defendant’s hospital never offered a penny. This was the largest neonatal malpractice verdict ever in Western Pennsylvania.

Washington County, Pennsylvania

$23,500,000

Medical Malpractice

Attorney Jack Beam, along with Matthew Patterson, secured a $23.5 million dollar verdict against Presence St. Joseph Hospital, for a brain-damaged child.

Presence St. Joseph Hospital

$21,000,000

Brain Injury

Attorneys Jack Beam and Matthew Patterson of the Chicago law firm Beam Legal Team, LLC achieved a global $21 million settlement on behalf of Alayna Hike, a three-year-old child with severe brain damage she suffered during her delivery at a Suburban Chicago Hospital.

Chicago, Illinois

$20,000,000

Medical Malpractice

Beam Legal Team obtained a $20 million verdict against Detroit Medical Center and Hutzel Hospital for negligently discharging a laboring mother despite the fact that she was about to give birth, thus depriving the minor child of medical attention for her serious medical needs. Testimony at trial indicated that the hospital was quick to discharge C.B.’s mother because she was an inmate at Wayne County Jail, and they did not care for her jail uniform. Throughout the trial, the Defendant’s Hospital pointed the finger at the Defendant’s Jail for the malpractice at issue. The verdict was one of the largest in the state of Michigan in 2014.

Wayne County, Michigan

$19,025,000

Obstetrical Malpractice

The tragic death of a 10-month-old baby, Darone Bush, has resulted in a record verdict of non-economic damages for wrongful death caused by obstetrical malpractice during labor and delivery. Beam Legal Team, LLC announced last week that a Cook County jury had ordered St. Bernard Hospital to pay the family of Darone Bush $19,025,000 for the loss due to obstetrical malpractice.

Cook County, Illinois

$17,000,000

Medical Malpractice

Like Markell, Ryan, and Walter, Marissa Pochron is a very special child. She, too, is an extraordinary survivor. The malpractice committed against sweet Marissa occurred both before and after birth. The obstetrician should have delivered Marissa via Caesarian section and sooner. When Marissa was born severely depressed, hypoxic, and hypoglycemic, the hospital staff and nurses should have—but did not—properly resuscitate and treat her. The nursing staff even ignored orders from the neonatologist, leading to further harm. Marissa suffers from brain damage, cerebral palsy, and spastic quadriplegia. The jury found the hospital and the obstetrician liable for $17 million. This was the largest verdict in an obstetrical/neonatal malpractice case in the history of West Virginia.

Monongalia County, West Virginia

$15,000,000

Medical Malpractice

In this Cook County, Illinois case, the Defendant hospital failed to recognize the warning signs of fetal distress during a two-day induction of a young mother. Due to the hospital’s overuse of Pitocin during the labor and delivery and their failure to perform a cesarean section, excessive contractions stopped oxygen delivery and blood flow to the baby’s brain. The hospital’s negligence caused severe brain damage to the child, who cannot walk, talk or care for herself. Beam Legal Team settled this case for $15 million dollars.

Cook County, Illinois

$13,000,000

Medical Malpractice

$13 million was received in settlement of a case in which the residents’ and nurses’ lack of skill and care interpreting the fetal heart rate monitor caused delay in delivery, and, thereafter, permanent damage to the unborn baby.

Tennessee

$11,000,000

Medical Malpractice

For a significant period of time, doctors and nurses confused the mother’s heartrate for the baby’s, and, therefore, failed to recognize significant fetal distress, leading to brain damage, cerebral palsy, and the need for lifetime attendant care. This case was settled for $11 million.

West Virginia

$11,000,000

Medical Malpractice

A case in which negligent management of labor and delivery, resulting in brain damage to the baby, was settled for $11 million.

Illinois

$10,200,000

Birth Trauma

On February 10, 2025, after more than 10 hours of deliberation, a Racine County jury awarded a verdict in excess of $10.2 million to Ka’Mya Minor for a severe and permanent injury she sustained at birth as a result of the negligence of an Ascension doctor and nurse. Matthew Patterson and Ryan Timoney of Beam Legal Team, LLC, and Kevin Martin, of Martin Law Office, tried the case over three weeks.

Racine, Wisconsin

$9,500,000

Brain Injury

When a depressed newborn was delivered and needed resuscitation, the hospital failed to properly intubate, resulting in a lack of oxygen, seizures, and brain damage. Beam Legal Team settled this case for $9.5 million.

Washington

$9,350,000

Medical Malpractice

This Minnesota case, in which doctors’ and residents’ failure to deliver an infant despite protracted labor, tachysystole, and hours of non-reassuring fetal heart rate tones, resulting in cerebral palsy and permanent brain damage, settled for $9.35 million.

Minnesota

$8,000,000

Medical Malpractice

The medical personnel at the defendant hospital allowed the mom and baby to struggle through labor for approximately 48 hours, which should have never happened. Due to non-reassuring fetal heart tracings and the overuse of Pitocin and Cytotec, which are both contraction-inducing drugs, the doctors should have called a C-section several hours earlier. Although the baby was not progressing sufficiently down the birth canal, the medical personnel continued to misuse these dangerous drugs. Due to the lack of blood flow during labor, the baby was deprived of oxygen and therefore suffered permanent brain damage.

Ohio

$8,000,000

Medical Malpractice

Beam Legal Team procured a settlement against Wayne County Jail for failing to implement, adopt, and/or tolerate customs, practices, policies, and/or procedures that deprived the laboring mother and inmate of medical attention for her serious medical needs. This case was settled for $8 million.

Michigan

$8,000,000

Induction/Pitocin

The baby was delivered on December 22, 2013, after hours of recurrent late decelerations, negligent use of Pitocin, and fetal tachycardia.

At the time of delivery, the baby was limp, cyanotic, and with no respiratory effort., The blood gases were recorded in the medical records before the baby was born, causing doubt about their authenticity. A neurological exam, performed at one hour of life by a resident, incorrectly ruled out the use of therapeutic hypothermia, a brain cell-saving treatment that this child desperately needed.

The child went on to have documented seizures at seven hours of life, but by then the neonatal team deemed it too late to receive therapeutic hypothermia. A few of the main issues in this case were: 1) negligent use of Pitocin 2) chain of custody of blood sample, and 3) criteria for therapeutic hypothermia.

The child has the following diagnoses: cerebral palsy, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, seizures, global developmental delays, excessive drooling, microcephaly, left-sided weakness, and cannot speak.

Michigan

$7,900,000

Brain Injury

Practitioners failed to perform an earlier delivery even though the baby and mother were suffering from a complete placenta previa—a complication in which the placenta is attached too low in the uterus, putting the mother and baby at risk for hemorrhage. Failure to deliver earlier resulted in permanent and irreversible cerebral palsy and brain damage. Beam Legal Team procured a settlement of $7.9 million.

Michigan

$7,750,000

Medical Malpractice

Mom was presented as a high-risk patient with diabetes and other risk factors. Mom had elevated blood pressure, tachysystole, and excessive uterine activity throughout her labor. The doctors administered both Cytotec and Pitocin, which are contraction-inducing drugs when the drugs should have been reduced and discontinued altogether in the presence of the non-reassuring signs and symptoms that were present due to the baby’s failure to progress.

Pennsylvania

$7,500,000

Cerebral Palsy

In light of hospital negligence, inadequate nurse and physician staffing, and failure to interpret the fetal heart rate monitor and delivery of the baby sooner, resulting in cerebral palsy and severe brain damage, the case was settled for $7.5 million.

Michigan

$7,000,000

Cerebral Palsy

Negligence by the physicians and nurses during the prenatal and post-delivery periods resulted in cerebral palsy and brain damage. This case was settled for $7 million.

Michigan

$7,000,000

Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)

Failure of a hospital to deliver a baby sooner resulted in a lack of oxygen to the baby, who suffered and continues to suffer from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. This case was settled for $7 million.

Tennessee

$6,950,000

Medical Malpractice

Pitocin was administered to induce pregnancy. Mom suffered a severe blood pressure increase during labor. Pitocin was used despite tachysystole and decelerations. Vacuum-assisted delivery was performed, and the baby was born severely depressed. Pitocin should have been discontinued and doctors should have delivered the baby hours earlier due to the arrest of labor and the presence of repetitive late decelerations which are indicative of uteroplacental insufficiency (too little oxygen and blood flow to the baby). Despite suffering from hypoxic ischemia and seizures, the baby did not receive therapeutic head cooling resulting in permanent brain damage.

Michigan

$6,880,000

Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)

The baby was delivered on March 31, 2014, via emergency cesarean due to recurrent late decelerations and minimal variability

Experts concluded that multiple staff members failed to identify the obvious signs of fetal distress and that the child should have been delivered sooner to avoid intrapartum hypoxia. At the time of delivery, the baby was limp with no spontaneous respiratory effort and the presence of meconium.

Despite receiving therapeutic hypothermia, the child has the following diagnoses: spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, microcephaly, seizures, significant global developmental delays, and he cannot speak, walk, or sit up on his own.

Michigan

$6,875,000

Medical Malpractice

$6.875 million settlement in Wayne County, Michigan for a child who suffered brain damage after medical staff failed to perform an emergency C-section hours earlier when they should have detected fetal distress. As a result of the lack of oxygen to the brain, the baby has been diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, seizures, microcephaly, and global developmental delays which will require around-the-clock care for the rest of the baby’s life.

Wayne County, Michigan

$6,500,000

Cerebral Palsy

Failure of a hospital to deliver a baby soon enough resulted in a lack of oxygen and cerebral palsy. In this case, Beam Legal Team obtained a settlement of $6.5 million.

Missouri

$5,850,000

Medical Malpractice

When an improperly placed epidural caused Mother’s heart to stop, the baby was deprived of oxygen and was brain damaged. This case settled for $5.85 million.

Michigan

$5,700,000

Cerebral Palsy

Failure of a hospital to deliver a baby earlier caused a lack of oxygen. The baby now suffers from cerebral palsy. This case was settled for $5.7 million.

Michigan

$5,500,000

Medical Malpractice

Doctors failed to monitor the mother days prior to delivery and determine that her membranes were in fact leaking. Rather than keeping the mother at the hospital for further management, she was discharged home and doctors did not rule out the onset of labor. There was a wide window of opportunity to prevent the baby’s brain damage days before delivery. The baby suffered severe bradycardia. A first-year resident mismanaged their mother’s care. A C-Section should have been performed hours earlier. The attending obstetrician did not arrive until after the baby’s birth. The baby suffered catastrophic injuries that have resulted in his diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy, epilepsy, global developmental delays, expressive language disorder, and cortical blindness.

Michigan

$5,500,000

Medical Malpractice

Mother was experiencing gestational hypertension. Medical staff failed to advocate for an earlier delivery based on the baby’s extended periods of non-reassuring fetal heart rates. There were prolonged, arrested labor signs of fetal distress on the electronic fetal heart monitor, and the physicians used forceps to force the delivery of the baby. Consequently, the baby suffered permanent brain damage.

Kentucky

$5,500,000

Induction/Pitocin

The medical staff failed to recognize signs that the baby was not tolerating labor and should have called a C-section 4.5 hours before it was finally performed. The medical staff was negligent by continuing to increase the dose of Pitocin in the face of several late decelerations and other non-reassuring signs of fetal intolerance of labor. The medical staff continued to increase the dose of Pitocin despite strong contractions, directly disobeying the hospital’s own policies and procedures as well as the warning signs printed on the drug’s package insert.

Kentucky

$5,400,000

Cerebral Palsy

After doctors failed to deliver the baby sooner, after meconium aspiration, this baby was born via “emergency” C-section and now suffers from cerebral palsy. This case settled for $5.4 million.

Missouri

$5,250,000

Induction/Pitocin

When doctors prematurely ruptured a mother’s amniotic membrane, and incorrectly administered Pitocin, a baby was born bruised and brain-damaged. Beam Legal Team settled this case for $5.25 million.

Ohio

$4,980,000

Cerebral Palsy

The baby was delivered on June 6, 2014, after hours of decelerations and diminished variability. Experts concluded that the child should have qualified for an earlier cesarean section after overwhelming signs of fetal distress and intrapartum hypoxia.

The baby was born vaginally without breathing effort, cyanotic, hypotonic, and presence of meconium. Despite receiving therapeutic hypothermia, the child has the following diagnoses: spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, visual impairment, fed via g-tube, treatment-resistant seizures, torticollis, significant global developmental delays, and cannot speak or sit up on her own.

Michigan

$4,850,000

Medical Malpractice

Mom was presented as a high-risk patient due to preeclampsia, obesity, and excessively frequent and strong contractions. The medical staff failed to monitor the mom and baby. The doctors administered Pitocin to induce delivery despite the baby being tachycardic. The baby did not progress down the birth canal and suffered severe shoulder dystocia. Baby Baby was born severely depressed via a C-Section, which should have been performed earlier. The baby was sent to the NICU for hypothermic treatment and placed on a ventilator. the baby was noted to suffer seizures and was later diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Michigan

$4,750,000

Medical Malpractice

When the misapplication of a vacuum device to a baby’s head significantly contributed to a skull fracture and brain trauma at birth, the baby was born severely brain damaged. This case was settled for $4.75 million.

Michigan

$4,500,000

Cerebral Palsy

A young girl’s cerebral palsy was caused when her mother was administered excessive Pitocin to induce her labor and delivery. This case settled for $4.5 million.

Michigan

$4,300,000

Cerebral Palsy

Jane Doe was born via emergency C-section after multiple intrapartum complications: fetal heart rate abnormalities, arrest of descent, attempted use of forceps, and failed vacuum extraction, including two pop-offs. Jane Doe was born with not only molding, caput, and severe scalp bruising, but with such extensive internal edema and swelling that it caused gross malposition of the pliable bones of the skull.

There was also a suspected fracture. A 3-dimensional graphic representation created by a plaintiff’s pediatric neuroradiology expert showed extreme deformation of the baby’s head following the combined trauma of forceps, vacuum, and hours of the arrest of descent on a skill that was simply too big to fit through the maternal pelvis. The obvious trauma was conflated with hypoxic ischemia as evidenced by the cord blood pH of 7.08 and base excess of -13.4–indisputable evidence of metabolic acidosis.

Both the hypoxic ischemia and the trauma could have and should have, been avoided by an earlier cesarean section, according to the plaintiff’s counsel. Defendant’s doctor admitted that he was concerned about the baby’s heart based on the progressively deteriorating electronic fetal heart monitor (EFHM) and baby Jane Doe’s lack of descent through the birth canal over an hour and 18 minutes before delivery.

Plaintiff’s experts testified that: 1) an arrest of descent was evident hours before 12:55; 2) the EFHM was non-reassuring hours before 12:55; and 3) a cesarean section delivery should have been performed no later than 12:30. But Jane Doe’s arrest of descent combined with the loss of oxygen resulting from the repeated variable decelerations were still not enough for defendants to call an emergency C-section, according to plaintiff’s counsel.

Instead of taking responsibility for his failure to call an emergency C-section, the defendant attempted to blame a first-time mother who had no medical training, according to the plaintiff’s counsel. Supposedly abiding by Jane Doe’s mother’s “emphatic” wishes to deliver her baby vaginally, the defendant opted to use both forceps and a vacuum, hoping this would force the baby out.

The baby was still seizing in the NICU when the defendants started altering the medical records, according to the plaintiff’s counsel. Defense counsel fought hard to deny the plaintiff’s discovery of the audit trail, going so far as to file a motion for reconsideration of the judge’s order. Once those records were obtained, it was readily apparent why the defense counsel fought hard to conceal what his client altered, as evident in this audit trial, according to the plaintiff’s counsel.

Plaintiff’s counsel is casting absolutely no aspersion on defense counsel, who understandably did not want the plaintiff to discover this material and alteration/spoliation.

On Aug. 2, 2011, at 22:40, the following sentence was deleted under a specific doctor’s name from her progress note in the neonatal records: “Initial ABG showed ph 7.08/pco267/HCO2 19/base deficit of 13,” according to plaintiffs counsel. This sentence had been in the record from 2:40 until 22:38. Whoever deleted this evidence forgot to delete the one other place in which the blood gas is reported. There should always be two cord blood gasses: a venous and an arterial. The venous gas is always higher than the arterial gas. In this case, there is just a notation that purports to be arterial, but without two blood gases, it cannot be known. Nevertheless, even the values that are in the record (pH 7.08) indicate metabolic acidosis, and therefore, point to a hypoxic-ischemic baby at birth.

The defense, in this case, agreed that the extensive and traumatic labor and delivery course, more likely than not, caused Jane Doe’s damages, which include cerebral palsy, developmental delay, seizures, left-sided weakness, esotropia of the left eye, and abnormal 48-hour EEG as recently as February 2017, according to plaintiff’s counsel.

Michigan

$4,000,000

Medical Malpractice

The medical staff failed to adequately monitor the baby. Despite recurrent tachysystole, or contractions occurring too frequently, the doctors and nurses continued to give mom Pitocin, a drug that increases the strength and frequency of contractions. The medical staff failed to follow their own policies and procedures regarding the administration of Pitocin by failing to discontinue the drug in the face of tachysystole when the EFHM strip was readable and also when the strip was unreadable for extended periods of time throughout the labor and delivery.

Missouri

$3,750,000

Cerebral Palsy

A newborn stopped breathing at eight hours of life, and it took several minutes for nurses to recognize the problem. When they finally did, she was blue. She now suffers from cerebral palsy. The case was settled for $3.75 million.

Michigan

$3,000,000

Brain Injury

Failure to recognize decelerations of the baby’s heart on the fetal heart rate monitor and deliver sooner resulted in cerebral palsy and brain damage. This case was also settled for $3 million.

Colorado

$3,000,000

Medical Malpractice

An improper amniotomy and delayed Caesarian section caused a baby’s cerebral palsy and brain damage. Beam and Raymond settled this case for $3 million.

Arizona

$3,000,000

Brain Injury

Baby’s mother had a placenta previa, recognizable on ultrasound, but it was not diagnosed by her obstetrician, leading to injuries at birth with seizures. MRI imaging confirmed anoxic brain injury. This case was settled for $3 million.

Pennsylvania

$2,900,000

Cerebral Palsy

When nurses elected to discharge a mother whose baby was in fetal distress, rather than effectively notify the attending physician or treat the condition, the baby was born with hypoxia-ischemia and seizures. She now suffers from cerebral palsy. Beam Legal Team settled this case for $2.9 million.

Tennessee