Our law firm handles cerebral palsy lawsuits in Baltimore. There is confusion about CP lawsuits and about cerebral palsy in general. This post hopes to help some clear up some confusion and get a clear picture of the landscape of cerebral palsy in general and the litigation landscape of in CP birth injury suits.
Some lawyers and defense experts in birth injury cases want the jury to think the cerebral palsy is a disease. Cerebral palsy is not a disease. Rather CP is a group of disorders in which the brain is unable to control muscle movement, coordination, and balance. The term cerebral references the brain and palsy is a medical term that refers to paralysis or weakness. CP is caused by a particular type of damage to the brain during developmental stages.
CP and its physical symptoms can vary significantly. Individuals with relatively minor cases of CP might just walk with a slight limp or awkward gait. I have one friend who has CP who got off to a tough start but does really well and, at this point, no one knows she has CP. A severe case of CP might leave the person completely unable to walk at all.