Judge Approves $12M Settlement in Cerebral Palsy Lawsuit

OSF HealthCare System has agreed to pay $12 million for the care and medical costs of Jeremy Law, who suffered massive brain damage as a result of lack of oxygen during his 2004 birth. Jeremy now lives with a debilitating type of spastic cerebral palsy, requires a ventilator and needs 24-hour care.

According to his parents’ lawsuit, hospital staff failed to recognize and respond to fetal distress in a timely manner and these failures caused oxygen deprivation and subsequent brain damage.

Though the settlement amount is significant, it does not make up for the mental anguish and suffering that Jeremy and his parents must face every day. “The family is breathing a great sigh of relief that this aspect of their life is concluding, but no one should mistake this for a windfall,” a medical lawyer for the family said.