$8 Million Verdict for Medical Mistreatment for Ear Infection / Cerebral Palsy

Eight million dollars was awarded to a young East Orange family after successful representation last spring by John Blume. The verdict was one of the largest ever recovered for personal injuries in New Jersey.

The suit charged an East Orange doctor and his associate with “deviation from accepted medical standards” in a case involving a six-year-old boy who developed cerebral palsy after being medically mistreated for an ear infection during infancy.

Mr. Blume said that the parents consulted doctors when their six-month-old son developed a common ear infection. The doctors failed to properly advise the parents; as a result, the boy later developed meningitis which led to brain damage and then to cerebral palsy.

Mr. Blume said that the boy is unable to walk, talk or function on his own, but the jury award will allow the parents to provide all the care their son will need.

The award includes $6 million for the child, $346,000 for the mother and $1,761,580 in prejudgment interest (accumulated from the time of filing suit to the time the verdict was rendered).