Southfield Birth Injury Attorneys

When a child is harmed during labor or delivery in Southfield because a provider failed to meet the accepted standard of care, the family can pursue a birth injury malpractice claim, and Goodman Acker handles those cases.

Not every difficult delivery is malpractice, but many preventable injuries are, and the first question most parents ask, whether this was supposed to happen at all, is exactly the question the law turns on.

That question matters legally. In Michigan, a birth injury only becomes the basis for a malpractice claim when a provider’s failure to meet the accepted standard of care caused the harm. Not every complication qualifies, but many preventable injuries do. Knowing the difference early shapes everything: which records to request, which experts to retain, and how long you actually have to act.

At Goodman Acker P.C., our Southfield birth injury lawyers work from our Two Towne Square office to represent families throughout Oakland County. We handle the legal work while you focus on your child.

Call (248) 831-1507 or contact us online for a free case review.

What Actually Causes Most Preventable Birth Injuries

Most preventable birth injuries trace back to a handful of provider decisions made wrong under pressure. Hospitals rarely admit fault and call these “unfortunate outcomes,” but the delivery record often tells a different story. The patterns our birth injury attorneys see most often include:

Failure to monitor fetal heart rate. Electronic fetal monitoring exists precisely to catch signs of distress early. When nurses or physicians miss or misread decelerations in heart rate during labor, the window for intervention closes fast.

Delayed cesarean section decisions. When labor stalls, fetal distress escalates, or the baby’s position creates a risk of prolonged compression, a C-section may be the only safe option. Waiting too long is one of the most litigated decisions in delivery room cases.

Improper use of assistive tools. Forceps and vacuum extractors require precise technique. Applied with excess force, at the wrong angle, or without proper monitoring, they can cause skull fractures, nerve damage, and brain injuries.

Oxygen deprivation events. Umbilical cord prolapse, placental abruption, and uterine rupture can all cut off oxygen supply rapidly. How fast the care team responds determines the extent of the neurological damage.

Medication errors during labor. Pitocin, used to stimulate contractions, requires careful dosing. Too much can cause hyperstimulation, which reduces blood flow to the baby and causes distress.

Each of these situations involves a decision, or a failure to make one. That is what separates a complication from malpractice.

Birth Injuries Our Southfield Attorneys Handle

Goodman Acker P.C. handles cases involving a wide range of injuries, including those with lifelong consequences.

Cerebral palsy

One of the most common outcomes of birth-related oxygen deprivation. When it results from a provider’s delayed response to clear warning signs, the family has grounds for a claim.

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)

A brain injury tied to oxygen and blood-flow loss around delivery. Whether it supports a claim turns on how promptly the team recognized and responded to the warning signs.

Erb’s palsy and brachial plexus injuries

Nerve injuries affecting arm and hand movement, often tied to excessive force during a difficult delivery. Some resolve; others are permanent, and the cause is what drives the claim.

Intracranial hemorrhage

Can follow birth trauma, including improper instrument use. A failure to recognize and act on it in time is the legal question.

Spinal cord injuries

Less common but severe, often tied to excessive force or improper positioning during extraction.

Skull fractures and facial nerve injuries

Associated with high-force instrument deliveries. The standard-of-care question is whether that force was justified.

If your child received a diagnosis connected to events during labor or delivery, our attorneys can help you evaluate whether the care provided met Michigan’s accepted medical standard.

How Goodman Acker Builds These Cases

Birth injury cases are not straightforward medical malpractice claims. They require a specific combination of medical analysis, expert testimony, and litigation experience. Here is how our Southfield birth injury lawyers approach them:

Medical Record Review. We obtain the complete labor and delivery record, fetal monitoring strips, nursing notes, medication logs, and any neonatal records from after birth. This documentation shows what the care team knew, when they knew it, and what they did, or did not do, in response.

Specialist Consultation: Michigan requires an affidavit of merit, a sworn statement from a qualified medical professional confirming the claim has merit, before a malpractice case can proceed under MCL 600.2912d. We work with obstetricians, neonatologists, and pediatric neurologists who can assess whether the standard of care was met and how the deviation caused your child’s injury.

Life Care Planning: When an injury is permanent, the financial reality is substantial. We work with life care planners to project the full cost of your child’s future medical needs, therapies, equipment, educational support, and in-home care. Underestimating these figures is one of the most damaging mistakes a family can make when settling early.

Litigation Readiness: Birth injury cases often involve large hospital systems backed by experienced defense teams. Our attorneys prepare every case as though it will go to trial in the Oakland County Circuit Court, because that readiness affects how seriously opposing counsel evaluates settlement demands. We do not build cases for easy settlements. We build them to withstand cross-examination.

Why Early Medical Opinions Matter in Birth Injury Cases

Early medical opinions often play a decisive role in birth injury cases because they establish the first professional interpretation of what went wrong during labor or delivery. However, these initial assessments are frequently made before the full extent of a child’s condition is understood. That is why an independent specialist review is critical.

Neonatologists and pediatric neurologists can re-evaluate fetal monitoring data, delivery notes, and post-birth symptoms to identify signs of preventable harm. This second layer of review often reveals whether the injury was the result of a natural complication or a deviation from accepted medical standards.

What Compensation Can Cover

Birth injury compensation falls into two categories under Michigan law: economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages cover documented and projected financial losses. There is no statutory cap on economic damages in Michigan medical malpractice cases. This category includes:

• All past and future medical expenses, including hospitalizations, surgeries, therapies, and medications
• Costs for adaptive equipment, home modifications, and specialized transportation
• Educational services, including special education and developmental programs
• In-home nursing or attendant care
• Lost future earnings if your child’s disability will limit their ability to work as an adult
• Lost wages for a parent who reduces or leaves employment to provide care

Non-economic damages cover pain, suffering, and loss of quality of life. Under MCL 600.1483, Michigan limits non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases, with annual inflation adjustments set by the state treasurer.

A higher cap applies in cases of catastrophic injury, such as permanent cognitive impairment or loss of a limb caused by brain or spinal-cord damage. Because both figures are recalculated each year, your attorney confirms the current caps that apply to your child’s claim.

Understanding these figures matters before any settlement discussion begins. An offer that looks significant in isolation may fall far short of what your child will actually need.

Before you respond to any settlement offer, let us review what your child’s care will actually cost. Call Goodman Acker for a free case review.

Southfield’s Medical Landscape and What It Means for Your Case

Southfield is one of Oakland County’s primary medical hubs. Ascension Providence Hospital on West Nine Mile Road is the city’s main birthing facility and operates a NICU and an Alternative Birth Center. Henry Ford Providence Southfield Hospital on West Nine Mile Road also serves the area. Families in Southfield also frequently deliver at nearby Corewell Health Beaumont Royal Oak and other facilities serving the greater Oakland County corridor.

When an injury occurs at any of these facilities, the case is handled in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court in Oakland County, one of the more complex civil courts in Michigan. Our attorneys know this court and how medical malpractice claims move through it.

Large hospital systems employ risk management teams and defense counsel the moment an adverse outcome occurs. They begin building their defense before most families realize a claim exists. Starting your own inquiry early, with legal representation, levels that imbalance.

Michigan’s Filing Deadlines for Birth Injury Claims

Michigan imposes strict time limits on medical malpractice claims under MCL 600.5805(8). The Michigan medical malpractice claims are generally subject to a two-year statute of limitations under MCL 600.5805(8), measured from the date of the alleged act or omission, subject to limited exceptions and tolling rules.

However, birth injury cases involving a child involve a critical exception under MCL 600.5851(7): Under MCL 600.5851(7), a minor generally has until their tenth birthday to bring a medical malpractice claim if the alleged malpractice occurred before age eight, subject to other applicable procedural requirements and limitations.

Additionally, before filing a lawsuit, Michigan law requires a Notice of Intent to be served on medical malpractice defendants at least 182 days before filing suit under MCL 600.2912b, subject to limited statutory modifications in certain circumstances.

Missing either the notice requirement or the statute of limitations ends the case regardless of how strong the evidence is. Do not wait to get answers.

Real Questions Southfield Families Ask Our Birth Injury Lawyers

What if my child was born at a hospital outside Southfield, but we live here, can you still take the case?

Yes. Goodman Acker P.C. handles birth injury cases throughout Michigan. The location of the hospital determines which county court handles the case, not where the family lives. Whether the delivery occurred at Beaumont Royal Oak, Henry Ford Detroit, or another facility, our attorneys can represent you.

What if my child is already several years old and I only recently connected the diagnosis to what happened at birth?

More common than most people realize. A birth-related condition is sometimes not diagnosed until a child is two, three, or older. Under MCL 600.5851(7), as long as the child has not reached their tenth birthday and the malpractice occurred before age eight, the claim may still be timely. Speak with an attorney soon to confirm your specific window.

The hospital told us it was an unavoidable complication. Does that close the case?

No. Hospitals routinely call adverse outcomes unavoidable risks of childbirth, but that explanation needs independent review, not simple acceptance. We obtain the full medical record and consult specialists with no relationship to the treating facility. What a hospital calls a complication is sometimes the result of a decision that should have gone differently.

Do we pay anything if Goodman Acker takes our case?

No upfront fees and no attorney fees unless we obtain a settlement or court award on your behalf. This is a contingency fee arrangement, standard in personal injury and medical malpractice cases in Michigan.

When Your Southfield Family Needs Answers, Not Assurances

Parents who come to us after a birth injury are not looking for someone to sympathize with them. They want to know what happened, whether it was preventable, and what they can do about it. Those are the right questions, and they are exactly what our attorneys are here to answer.

Goodman Acker P.C. has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for Michigan families across all types of serious injury cases, including results in Oakland County. We handle birth injury cases with the medical depth and litigation preparation these cases demand.

Call (248) 831-1507 or fill out our online contact form to speak with a Southfield birth injury attorney at no cost. The sooner we review your records, the more options you have.

Southfield Headquarters: Two Towne Square, Suite 444 Southfield, MI 48076

LEGALLY REVIEWED BY BARRY J. GOODMAN

Barry J. Goodman has devoted his professional life to keeping courthouse doors open for victims seeking justice. Always a tireless advocate for his own clients, Goodman sees his responsibility as a Detroit personal injury attorney in a broader sense as well. [ Attorney Bio ]