Brain Damage - Cerebral Palsy
VERDICT: $8,400,000 (present cash value)

The mother went to her obstetrician's office late in pregnancy. While there, she ruptured her membranes. The amniotic fluid was stained with meconium. The mother was sent to a local hospital, where inadequate monitoring of the fetal heart rate was performed. The baby was born 18 hours later, with signs of birth asphyxia. She developed severe cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and developmental delay.

The case was tried to a Pomona jury, which returned a verdict that at the time was the largest present value medical malpractice verdict in California history.