Cerebral Palsy Settlements
If your child developed cerebral palsy due to a medical mistake, you may be eligible for a cerebral palsy settlement. Cerebral palsy compensation payouts award over $1 million on average and can help families afford treatments, therapy, and other long-term care expenses. Contact us now to see if your family may qualify for a cerebral palsy lawsuit settlement.
Why Take Legal Action?
By filing a cerebral palsy lawsuit, you can seek financial compensation to provide your child with the care they need to live their best life.
Results Secured
- $10.5 million for a family in Missouri
- $7.8 million for a Florida family
- $6 million for a family in New York
What Are Cerebral Palsy Settlements?
Cerebral palsy settlements are payouts to families of children with cerebral palsy (CP) who developed this condition due to medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice occurs when an obstetrician or other health care provider fails to meet the standard of care and injures a patient. In the case of cerebral palsy, a medical mistake made before, during, or shortly after childbirth can cause brain damage that leads to CP.
Cerebral palsy settlements allow parents to provide their children with the best care possible. They also ensure that negligent medical professionals are held accountable.
Almost all cerebral palsy lawsuits end in out-of-court settlements, allowing parents to avoid the stress of a trial and access much-needed money faster.
See if your family may be eligible for a cerebral palsy lawsuit settlement during a free case review.
What Is the Average Settlement for Cerebral Palsy?
The average settlement for cerebral palsy is over $1 million, according to a study by a medical malpractice insurer called The Doctors Company.
The researchers looked at 1,215 birth injury claims over a 9-year period and found the average payout to be $936,843. This amount includes settlements and jury awards and works out to over $1 million today.
The average settlement for cerebral palsy is nearly $1.4 million when adjusted for inflation.
– The Doctors Company
Cerebral palsy settlements vary from case to case. Many families who have worked with the birth injury lawyers in our network have received more compensation than this average.
Cerebral Palsy Settlement Amounts
LawFirm.com works with top cerebral palsy lawyers who have recovered over $1 billion for families affected by cerebral palsy and other birth injuries.
Cerebral palsy settlements and verdicts secured by our legal partners include:
- Over $10 million for a family in Missouri
- $9 million on behalf of a 5-year-old in Colorado
- $8.8 million for an Ohio family whose baby suffered severe fetal distress
- $8 million to a North Carolina family
- $7.8 million for a Florida child injured at birth
- $6.5 million to a Washington child from a lack of oxygen due to a delayed delivery
- $6 million to a child in New York who developed CP due to untreated jaundice
- $5.9 million for a child in Texas who received delayed medical care
- $5.6 million to a Utah family
- $5.5 million on behalf of a family in Oklahoma
- Over $4 million for a New Jersey family whose infant experienced fetal distress
- $4 million for an Arizona family
- $3.35 million to a child in New Hampshire
- $2.4 million on behalf of a Massachusetts family
A cerebral palsy lawyer can give you an idea of how much your birth injury lawsuit may be worth and fight for maximum compensation.
Call (888) 726-9160 right now to see if we can connect you with an experienced CP lawyer.
2025 Update: Cerebral Palsy Settlements and Verdicts
In the past year, several notable cerebral palsy settlements and verdicts were awarded to families affected by medical malpractice:
- Tower Health agreed to pay a $32.5 million settlement to the family of a 5-year-old boy who was born at Reading Hospital in Pennsylvania. He sustained a brain injury from an untreated infection that caused him to develop CP.
- A jury awarded $120 million to a Michigan family after medical professionals at Henry Ford Hospital delayed a cesarean section, causing oxygen deprivation and brain damage that led to CP.
- A judge upheld a $183 million verdict awarded to a Pennsylvania family that sued the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for medical malpractice. The hospital’s delay in performing a C-section had caused their child to develop CP.
Cerebral palsy lawsuit settlements help families pay for the long-term care that their children need and provide them with the best life possible.
Find out what causes cerebral palsy and how a birth injury lawyer can help if a medical mistake may have played a role.
Duration: 1 min 32 sec
5 Factors That Affect Cerebral Palsy Settlement Values
Different factors can affect the amount of compensation families may receive from cerebral palsy lawsuit settlements.
5 factors that impact cerebral palsy lawsuit settlements are:
- Severity of CP: The symptoms and severity of cerebral palsy and any related disabilities vary from person to person. Children with more severe forms of the condition are more likely to be awarded larger cerebral palsy settlements.
- Economic damages: The child’s lifetime medical expenses, therapies, and future lost income will all be taken into account. Many children with cerebral palsy need treatment for the rest of their lives and may be unable to work.
- Extent of medical negligence: The level of medical malpractice can play a role in a cerebral palsy settlement amount. Cases involving extreme negligence often lead to larger cerebral palsy settlements.
- Number of parties sued: Many medical malpractice lawsuits name multiple defendants, like the doctors and nurses who provided care and the hospital where the delivery occurred. It’s possible to settle with each defendant named in the lawsuit.
- State where the child’s birth injury occurred: Some states have caps that limit the amount of money people can receive from a medical malpractice case.
The attorney you work with can also play a role in the amount of cerebral palsy settlements you may receive.
Lawyers who work for national cerebral palsy law firms have the experience and resources to win these medical malpractice cases – and they know how to maximize cerebral palsy lawsuit settlements for their clients.
Am I Eligible for a Cerebral Palsy Settlement?
Parents or guardians of children who developed cerebral palsy because of a medical professional’s error are generally eligible to pursue cerebral palsy settlements.
Examples of medical malpractice that can cause cerebral palsy include:
- Failure to perform a timely cesarean section
- Failure to test for or treat infant or maternal infections
- Ignoring signs of fetal distress or other risk factors
- Misuse of delivery assistance tools, such as forceps and vacuum extractors
- Oxygen deprivation resulting in brain injury
- Untreated jaundice (build up of cell waste in the blood)
LawFirm.com can help you determine if you may be eligible for a CP settlement. We have registered nurses on staff who can listen to your story for free and help you figure out whether medical malpractice may have caused your child to develop CP.
“What I’ve learned from working in the hospital is what is supposed to happen or what we would expect to happen during a normal delivery. And it helps me be able to differentiate the red flags or the situations that could potentially cause an injury to a child or a mother.”
– Kristin Proctor, Registered Nurse and LawFirm.com case manager
Call (888) 726-9160 right now or fill out our form to speak to a registered nurse.
How Cerebral Palsy Compensation Helps Families
Cerebral palsy settlements provide families with money to help pay for the damages related to a child’s cerebral palsy diagnosis.
Economic damages typically include things like medical expenses and loss of earning capacity, while non-economic damages cover things that don’t have a price, like pain and suffering and a lower quality of life.
Cerebral palsy damages may include money for:
- Assistive technology
- Caretaking
- Emotional distress
- Lost wages, if parents need to stay home to provide care
- Medical bills
- Medication
- Modification to the home
- Physical therapy
- Special education
- Surgery
- And other related expenses
The cost to provide care for someone with cerebral palsy over the course of their life is about over $1.65 million, excluding basic living expenses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Cerebral palsy settlements help families pay for the care needed to give their children the best possible quality of life.
How to Pursue Cerebral Palsy Lawsuit Settlements
LawFirm.com has a network of lawyers who strive to make the process of pursuing cerebral palsy settlements as easy and stress-free as possible.
“They understand the profound impact birth trauma can have on a family, and they have the knowledge, experience, and resources to fight for the justice and compensation your child deserves. Their commitment to helping families navigate the legal system and obtain the support they need is unparalleled.”
– Laura R., a birth injury client helped by one of our partner law firms
Learn more about how cerebral palsy lawsuit settlements work below.
1. Get a Free Case Review
You can find out if your family may be eligible to pursue a cerebral palsy lawsuit settlement through a free case review.
During this process, a case manager will listen to your story and ask you some questions to help determine if a health care professional’s medical error may have played a role in your child’s condition.
There are no upfront or hourly fees to work with our partner attorneys. They work on a contingency fee basis, which means they only get paid if they successfully secure cerebral palsy compensation for you.
2. Collect Evidence
Your lawyer and their team will investigate your child’s birth and gather evidence like medical records and witness testimony to establish that medical malpractice took place.
They may also consult with medical experts to help prove your case and figure out the amount of damages your family may be owed.
“There are standards of care that OBGYN’s and nurses must uphold. Because of the training involved, both to achieve these degrees and to maintain licensing, medical experts can help to spot details and moments where interventions were needed but not given, or incorrect interventions were made that led to patient harm.”
– Katie Lavender, Registered Nurse and LawFirm.com medical expert
3. File a Lawsuit
Your lawyer will file your cerebral palsy lawsuit in the appropriate court and before any legal deadlines.
It’s important to act quickly once you suspect that something went wrong during the birthing process. If the deadline in your case passes, you won’t be able to pursue compensation and justice for your child.
4. Negotiate a Cerebral Palsy Settlement
Relying on their knowledge of the law and experience in past cases, your lawyer will work to get your family the most amount of money possible through a cerebral palsy settlement.
Cerebral palsy lawyers are skilled negotiators who can even the playing field for families by going head-to-head with hospital attorneys and medical malpractice insurance carriers.
They know how much money it takes to raise a child with cerebral palsy and will fight for enough money to secure your child’s future.
In the rare event that a settlement isn’t reached, your lawyer will present your case in court before a judge or jury. If you win, you’ll be awarded compensation from a cerebral palsy verdict.
Benefits of Settling Cerebral Palsy Claims
Birth injury lawyers and the families they help often prefer cerebral palsy settlements over taking a case to court.
Benefits of cerebral palsy lawsuit settlements may include:
- Faster access to much-needed financial help, without going to court
- Less risk, as compensation comes from a predetermined agreement
- Not subject to appeal, meaning settlement money can’t be taken away
- Usually confidential, respecting a family’s privacy
Your lawyer will fight for a settlement that provides the most compensation as quickly as possible.
Get a free case review to see if a top lawyer can pursue cerebral palsy compensation and justice for your child.
Statute of Limitations for Cerebral Palsy Settlements
Every state has laws called statutes of limitations. These laws set a time limit on how long people have to file different types of lawsuits, and they vary from state to state.
In cerebral palsy cases, these deadlines typically start to run on the date when the child is diagnosed with the condition. This could be at birth, months later, or even years after a child’s birth injury.
Because of the complex nature of these laws, it’s recommended that parents contact a cerebral palsy lawyer as soon as possible after they suspect that their child has CP.
A lawyer can take action to protect your right to sue while your cerebral palsy medical malpractice case is being investigated.
Once the statute of limitations has expired in your case, you will no longer be able to pursue a cerebral palsy settlement.
Get Help Seeking a Cerebral Palsy Settlement
Health care providers are expected to meet a certain standard of care when delivering babies and should be able to make the safest medical decisions when an emergency arises.
When they fail to do so, innocent families and children pay the price. Cerebral palsy settlements allow families to get justice and hold negligent medical professionals accountable.
LawFirm.com is here to help 24/7. The cerebral palsy law firms that we work with:
- Can handle cases in all 50 states
- Have secured over $1 billion in birth injury payouts
- Never charge any upfront or out-of-pocket fees
Call (888) 726-9160 now or contact our team to take the first step toward the compensation your family deserves.
Cerebral Palsy Malpractice Settlement FAQs
How much compensation for cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy lawsuit settlements typically award $1 million+ in compensation. Individual case results may differ based on the severity of the child’s condition, the degree of medical malpractice that took place, and other factors.
What is the average settlement for cerebral palsy?
The average settlement for cerebral palsy is approximately $1.4 million in 2025.
This average is based on a study of 1,215 birth injury claims over nine years resulting in both settlements and jury awards and adjusted for inflation. The data was compiled by The Doctors Group, a medical malpractice insurance company.
What is cerebral palsy compensation?
Cerebral palsy compensation is money that is paid to families with children who developed cerebral palsy as a result of medical malpractice on the part of an obstetrician or other health care provider.
Families can use cerebral palsy compensation to help pay for medical treatment, therapy, home care, and more.
How long after birth can you sue for cerebral palsy?
You may be able to sue for cerebral palsy and pursue a settlement as soon as you suspect a medical error caused your child to develop CP. You don’t need an official medical diagnosis or proof of medical malpractice to take legal action.
A cerebral palsy attorney can explain the process and take action to protect your legal rights.
How do I find a lawyer to help pursue a cerebral palsy settlement?
LawFirm.com can help. We’ve partnered with experienced cerebral palsy lawyers who have recovered over $1 billion for families affected by cerebral palsy and other birth injuries.
The lawyers in our network:
- Can help families in all 50 states
- Have registered nurses on staff
- Never charge any upfront fees
Get a free case review to see if we can connect you with a top lawyer who can fight for cerebral palsy lawsuit settlements for your family.

Fact-Checked and Legally Reviewed by: Katie Lavender, RNRegistered Nurse
- Editor
Katie Lavender has over 8 years of experience as a registered nurse (RN), providing direct care to mothers and babies after childbirth. She brings her hands-on experience in the field of labor and delivery to the LawFirm.com team, helping ensure that our birth injury content is correct and up to date.

Written by: Rae Theodore
Rae Theodore is a writer and editor with more than 30 years of experience in legal publishing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Pennsylvania State University.
- 69News. (2024, April 16). “Attorneys reach $32.5M settlement against Reading Hospital in birth injury case.” Retrieved January 2, 2025, from https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/attorneys-reach-32-5m-settlement-against-reading-hospital-in-birth-injury-case/article_4d69db6e-fc03-11ee-943e-17e7e57e9b9c.html
- Becker’s Hospital Review. (2024, April 1). “Jury awards $120M in negligence case against Henry Ford.” Retrieved January 2, 2025, from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/legal-regulatory-issues/jury-awards-120m-in-negligence-case-against-henry-ford.html
- Becker’s Hospital Review. “Jury awards $183M for birth injury at Penn Medicine hospital.” Retrieved January 2, 2025, from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/legal-regulatory-issues/jury-awards-183m-for-birth-injury-at-penn-medicine-hospital.html#
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “About Cerebral Palsy?” Retrieved January 2, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov/cerebral-palsy/about/?
- Mayo Clinic. “Cerebral palsy.” Retrieved January 2, 2025, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cerebral-palsy/symptoms-causes/syc-20353999
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “Cerebral Palsy.” Retrieved January 2, 2025, from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/cerebral-palsy
- Sokolove Law. (2024, May 1). “Cerebral Palsy Settlements.” Retrieved January 2, 2025, from https://www.sokolovelaw.com/birth-injuries/cerebral-palsy/settlements/
- The Doctors Group. “Study of Malpractice Claims Involving Children.” Retrieved January 2, 2025, from https://www.thedoctors.com/articles/study-of-malpractice-claims-involving-children/