If your child was diagnosed with cerebral palsy caused by medical negligence, let a skilled Wilkes-Barre cerebral palsy lawyer hold the responsible parties accountable. At Munley Law, we have more than 250 years of combined legal experience and a proven track record of verdicts and settlements in birth injury cases. Clients have recovered millions of dollars in damages as a result of our expertise, and we will work tirelessly to ensure you also receive justice.
Our firm has been highly rated by Best Law Firms, while our attorneys continue to be awarded and honored by respected bodies and publications. Among these are Best Lawyers, Lawdragon, Super Lawyers, Legal Intelligencer, Irish Legal 100, and the American Association For Justice. You can be sure that when you ask Munley Law to fight for fair compensation on your behalf, you’re choosing Pennsylvania’s best Wilkes-Barre birth injury lawyers.
Don’t wait to seek justice for your child. Contact us today to schedule a free first consultation with our award-winning lawyers. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there’s no fee unless we win your case.
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder affecting movement, muscle tone, and posture. It is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing infant’s brain, often occurring before birth or during the period after delivery. Cerebral palsy can result from various factors, including a birth injury such as fetal stroke, fetal distress, or a lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain during the delivery process.
Medical professionals can often diagnose CP based on the child’s medical records and physical symptoms. While the exact cause of cerebral palsy is not always clear, medical errors and medical negligence, such as medical malpractice during birth or pregnancy, can lead to a birth injury and contribute to brain damage and the development of cerebral palsy after the child’s birth, and can affect the child’s life. Some examples of medical malpractice during pregnancy or birth include failure to properly monitor the baby’s oxygen levels during labor or delivery. Cerebral Palsy Guidance revealed that around 10,000 babies are born with this condition in the U.S. every year.
Children with cerebral palsy may experience movement difficulties and require mobility devices or adaptive equipment to help them navigate daily life—similar to what’s required in Erb’s palsy and other birth injuries. In severe cases, CP can significantly impact a child’s life, requiring ongoing medical care and support.
If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and you believe that medical negligence or a birth injury may be responsible, call the Munley Law office today. A skilled cerebral palsy lawyer in Wilkes-Barre, serving northeastern Pennsylvania, can help you understand your legal options and pursue the compensation your child deserves.
Don’t wait. Schedule a free consultation with Munley Law’s experienced team of injury lawyers in Wilkes-Barre today. A Wilkes-Barre cerebral palsy lawyer will understand the challenges you and your child are facing, and we are here to help you seek justice and win the compensation you need to ensure your child’s future well-being.
Contact a Wilkes-Barre Cerebral Palsy Lawyer
Call Us At 844-686-5397 What Are the Causes of Cerebral Palsy?
According to Mayo Clinic, the causes of cerebral palsy are medical errors, fetal distress, infections, brain injury, genetics, and improper medical treatment. Most of these causes are a result of negligence on the part of the healthcare professional. Approximately 80% of CP cases result from birth complications, birth injuries, or other prenatal incidents.
The most common causes of cerebral palsy include:
- Medical Errors: Mistakes by medical professionals during pregnancy, labor, or delivery can lead to brain damage and cerebral palsy. Mistakes may include failure to properly monitor the baby’s vital signs or respond to signs of distress in the mother or baby.
- Fetal Stroke: A stroke in the womb can disrupt blood flow to the developing brain, causing damage that leads to CP.
- Fetal Distress: Complications during labor or delivery that result in the baby not receiving enough oxygen can lead to brain damage and cerebral palsy.
- Infections: Infections during pregnancy, such as rubella, cytomegalovirus, or toxoplasmosis, can increase the risk of CP.
- Genetic Factors: While less common, certain genetic conditions or mutations can increase the likelihood of CP.
- Brain Injury: Any injury to the developing infant brain, whether from trauma, infection, or other causes, can result in CP.
- Improper Medical Treatment: Incorrect or delayed medical treatment for conditions such as jaundice or meningitis can lead to brain damage and CP.
These factors can contribute to the development of cerebral palsy, and if medical negligence is involved, families may consider filing a medical malpractice claim. Call a birth injury lawyer at Munley Law today if you believe your child’s cerebral palsy was due to medical negligence during your child’s labor and delivery in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
“Honoring those who came before us, Munley Law proudly continues our family tradition of innovation, caring, and integrity.”
Caroline Munley
Is Cerebral Palsy Preventable?
While some cases of CP are unavoidable, instances related to medical malpractice during birth or pregnancy are preventable. Medical errors, such as improper monitoring of fetal distress, failure to respond to signs of distress, or delays in emergency interventions during labor, can lead to brain injury and cerebral palsy.
Suppose you suspect your child’s cerebral palsy diagnosis could have been prevented with proper care by medical staff or that it was caused by medical negligence. In that case, you might be entitled to recover compensation including:
- Economic Damages: Compensation for expenses and financial losses like medical care, medical devices, and therapy.
- Non-Economic Damages: Also known as pain and suffering damages, this includes compensation for the pain and suffering your child experiences and will experience due to their birth injury.
- Punitive Damages: Judges sometimes award punitive damages to punish the doctor or hospital if there is evidence of intentional malice or gross negligence. There’s no cap on these damages if the judge believes the doctor was intentionally careless.
If you suspect medical negligence, talk to an experienced Wilkes-Barre cerebral palsy lawyer today. Call Munley Law for your free consultation.
What If Medical Malpractice Caused My Child’s Injury?
If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and you believe medical malpractice played a role in their birth injury, or other forms of medical negligence were involved, you need to talk to a Wilkes-Barre birth injury attorney.
Our team will investigate every aspect of your child’s birth injuries. As part of our investigation into whether the doctor deviated from the accepted standard of care, we will talk to experts and request medical records. Under Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1042.3, we need to submit a certificate of merit signed by a doctor to support our case within 60 days of filing your claim. We will handle this, too.
Call the right attorney for your case. Munley Law’s Wilkes-Barre personal injury attorneys have over 65 years of experience fighting for the rights of injury victims in PA. We are ready to hear your case and fight for you and your child. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Is There a Statute of Limitations for Cerebral Palsy Cases in Wilkes-Barre?
In Pennsylvania, under 42 Pa. C.S.A. § 5524, the statute of limitations for birth injury claims is two years from the date of the injury. However, there are important distinctions between the deadlines for parents filing on behalf of a minor and for the child themselves.
- For parents filing on behalf of a minor, the two-year period begins on the date of injury but is tolled (paused) until the child reaches age 18. This means parents must file a claim before the child’s 20th birthday.
- For minors who have reached the age of 18, they have two years from their 18th birthday to file a claim for a birth injury that occurred during their birth.
Why Choose Munley Law for Your Wilkes-Barre Cerebral Palsy Lawyer?
When you’re faced with a birth injury case, you need attorneys who are going to treat you with respect, assess your claim thoroughly, protect your rights, calculate compensation accurately, and work with experts to investigate every aspect of it. You can expect all this and more from Munley Law’s Wilkes-Barre cerebral palsy lawyers. We will also handle negotiations with insurance companies and take the fight to court if necessary, shouldering the legal burden so you can focus on your child.
Our firm has handled personal injury cases since 1959 and has secured major victories, such as $5 million, $4.35 million, and $3.2 million medical malpractice settlements. Caroline Munley, one of our partners, was named to the Top 25 Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers and the Top 25 Women Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania by the National Trial Lawyers Association. She also received the Silver Client Champion Award from Martindale-Hubbell, which has given all our partners AV Preeminent ratings. Another partner, Marion Munley, was named Lawyer of the Year for Medical Malpractice Law by Best Lawyers and was included in the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America list.
With achievements and accolades such as these, Munley Law’s birth injury lawyers in Wilkes-Barre are your best allies in the quest for justice and compensation for you and your child.
Talk To a Wilkes-Barre Cerebral Palsy Attorney Now
Frequently Asked Questions about Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury Cases
What Should I Do First if My Child was Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and I Suspect Medical Negligence?
If you suspect medical negligence is to blame for your child’s cerebral palsy diagnosis, you should first preserve your child’s medical records and contact an experienced Wilkes-Barre birth injury lawyer at Munley Law as soon as possible. Our lawyer will review the records, order any additional medical documentation required, and begin an independent investigation, which will include consulting medical experts, to determine whether substandard care contributed to your child’s injury. You can schedule a free consultation at Munley Law at any time of the day or night, and you won’t pay a fee unless we win your case.
What Types of Compensation Can My Child Recover in a Cerebral Palsy Case?
The types of compensation your child can recover in a cerebral palsy case usually include:
- Economic damages such as medical care, therapy, assistive devices, home or vehicle modifications, and other out-of-pocket costs
- Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, emotional harm, and loss of enjoyment of life
- Punitive damages, which are intended to punish the person responsible
Our Wilkes-Barre cerebral palsy lawyer will calculate a comprehensive compensation estimate based on your child’s lifetime needs.
How Do You Prove Medical Negligence Caused My Child’s Cerebral Palsy?
To prove medical negligence caused your child’s cerebral palsy, our birth injury lawyers need to show that the doctor, midwife, nurse, or other healthcare provider failed to meet the accepted standard of care and that this departure caused a brain injury. To do this, we usually:
- Obtain and review medical records
- Consult independent medical experts
- Recreate events around labor and delivery, such as monitoring and response to fetal distress or oxygen deprivation
- Identify deviations from accepted medical practice
Under Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1042.3, a medical malpractice claim must also be supported by a certificate of merit signed by a doctor. We will handle this filing for you.
Is There a Time Limit for Filing a Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury Claim in Wilkes-Barre, PA?
Yes, there is a time limit for filing a cerebral palsy birth injury claim in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Under 42 Pa. C.S.A. § 5524, the statute of limitations is two years for most birth injury claims. However, the law tolls (pauses) the time limit when the child is a minor (under 18). Practically, parents must file before the child’s 20th birthday. If the child waits until he or she turns 18, they have two years from their 18th birthday to file. Due to these rules and other requirements in medical malpractice cases, it’s best to speak to one of Munley Law’s cerebral palsy lawyers as soon as possible to protect your child’s rights.
Will I Have to Go to Court for My Child’s Cerebral Palsy Case?
You won’t necessarily need to go to court for your child’s cerebral palsy case. Many cases settle with the defendant or insurance company. However, if our Wilkes-Barre cerebral palsy lawyers cannot obtain compensation through negotiations, we will pursue litigation and take the case to trial.
How Long Does a Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury Case Take in Wilkes-Barre, PA?
The timeline for cerebral palsy birth injury cases in Wilkes-Barre, PA, varies depending on medical issues, discovery, expert work, and court scheduling. Munley Law’s team will handle investigations, expert witnesses, paperwork (such as Pennsylvania’s certificate of merit requirement), and negotiations, so your family can focus on care. Remember, you pay nothing upfront and there’s no fee unless we win your case.
Contact Your Wilkes-Barre Cerebral Palsy Lawyer at Munley Law
If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and you believe medical malpractice played a role in their birth injury, call Munley Law today for your free case evaluation. Our birth injury lawyers will listen to you, give you a step-by-step case evaluation, explain what compensation you might be entitled to, and explain how we might move forward in collecting a settlement for you and your child.
Caroline Munley
Caroline is a passionate trial lawyer and courtroom advocate, a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer since 2022. Since 2018, she’s been listed in Best Lawyers in America (Personal Injury Plaintiffs; Workers’ Compensation Claimants, Northeastern PA) and named among PA’s Top 25 Women Trial Lawyers, the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates, and the Top 25 Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers.
Reviewed by Bernadine Munley, Esq., Personal Injury Attorney at Munley Law, on December 9, 2025.
Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
1170 PA-315
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
(570) 399-0406
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