HIE Lawyers for California Families

Tens of thousands of births occur in California each year, most resulting in healthy infants and grateful families. But for some, the delivery experience turns unexpectedly serious. 

A complication during labor, delivery, or the newborn period can deprive a baby’s brain of the oxygen and blood flow it needs. This condition, called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), can cause lifelong challenges and incur extensive expenses. An experienced HIE lawyer in California may be able to help you recover the compensation you need to care for your child.

• We understand medical negligence: Your child’s HIE may have been caused by medical negligence like a delayed c-section, or failure to address fetal distress during labor and delivery. We’ll look for the cause and who may be responsible.
• Birth injuries like HIE are our exclusive focus: ABC Law Centers focuses exclusively on birth injury lawsuits, such as HIE resulting during birth.
• Statute of Limitations: General medical malpractice claims must be filed within 3 years from the injury or 1 year from the discovery of the harm. However, minors who are injured before age 6 have 3 years to file or before their 8th birthday, whichever timeframe is longer.
• How we help: The compensation we fight to recover from an HIE lawsuit can help you pay for medical care, therapies, and home modifications your child will need for life.
• No Fee Unless We Win: Starting with a free consultation, ABC Law Centers costs you nothing unless we achieve a successful verdict or settlement in your favor.

HIE is a form of brain injury that can lead to developmental delays, cerebral palsy, seizures, and other neurological impairments. In some cases, HIE occurs because healthcare providers failed to act according to accepted medical standards. When avoidable mistakes cause harm, families have the right to seek legal action to secure the resources their child will need for life.

At ABC Law Centers (American Baby and Child Law Centers), we only represent families facing birth injury cases, including those involving HIE. For over 25 years, we have helped clients nationwide hold negligent medical providers accountable and recover compensation for specialized medical treatment, therapy, equipment, and lifelong support.

We work directly with local counsel in states where we are not licensed, but we always handle the primary legal work ourselves. Our attorneys will travel to meet with you and your family, giving your case the attention it deserves from start to finish. Consultations are free, and you pay no fees unless we win.

HIE cases require a combination of legal skill and medical insight that few law firms maintain. Our entire practice is devoted to birth injury litigation, which allows us to commit every resource toward uncovering the truth and building strong cases. Families turn to us because we offer:

Decades of Focused Experience – Since our founding in 1997, we have represented families in HIE and other birth injury cases exclusively.

Proven Case Results – We have secured multiple multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements that help fund lifetime care for children with brain injuries.

Nationwide Advocacy – While we partner with local counsel in states where we are not licensed, our attorneys perform the central legal work, ensuring a consistent, dedicated approach.

Respected Leadership – Attorneys Jesse Reiter and Rebecca Walsh have served in leadership roles in national birth injury litigation groups and trial lawyer associations.

Access to Top Experts – Our cases are supported by leading medical specialists, life-care planners, economists, and other professionals who help us evaluate injuries and future needs.

Commitment Beyond the Courtroom – Jesse Reiter founded the Reiter HIE Fund to support research on improving outcomes for infants with HIE.

HIE occurs when a baby’s brain is deprived of adequate oxygen and blood flow. While some causes are unavoidable, many result from mistakes in labor and delivery care, such as:

• Failing to recognize or act on abnormal fetal heart rate patterns
  
• Delaying an emergency C-section when indicated
  
• Mishandling umbilical cord problems like prolapse, knots, or compression
  
• Administering excessive doses of labor-inducing medications, such as Pitocin and Cytotec, that cause dangerous contractions
  
• Ignoring or mismanaging maternal infections
  
• Providing inadequate or delayed newborn resuscitation
  
• Misusing delivery instruments in ways that cause trauma and restrict oxygen
  

When these errors lead to HIE, the consequences can be life-altering. Prompt recognition and treatment are critical, and a delay of even minutes can increase the severity of injury.

In the hours or days after birth, the followi ng factors may indicate an HIE injury:

• Low APGAR scores at 1 and 5 minutes
  
• Cyanosis (blue or gray skin color)
  
• Weak or absent breathing at birth
  
• Hypotonia (floppiness) or hypertonia (stiffness)
  
• Seizures within the first day of life
  
• Feeding difficulties
  
• Need for mechanical ventilation
  
• Therapeutic hypothermia (cooling therapy) to reduce brain injury progression
  

As children grow, developmental delays, learning challenges, and motor impairments may emerge. Even if your child’s initial signs of HIE were subtle, a detailed review of the medical records may reveal preventable causes.

Babies with HIE often require advanced care in a neonatal intensive care unit. California is home to many high-level NICUs capable of providing specialized treatments like therapeutic hypothermia.

A Sample of Level IV NICUs:

• UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals – San Francisco & Oakland
• Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford – Palo Alto
• Children’s Hospital Los Angeles – Los Angeles
• Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) – Orange
• Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego
• Valley Children’s Hospital – Madera
• Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital – Loma Linda
• UC Davis Children’s Hospital – Sacramento
• UCI Medical Center – Orange
• Sutter Medical Center – Sacramento
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center – Los Angeles
• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center – San Jose

Selected Level III NICUs:

• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center – Berkeley
• Huntington Hospital – Pasadena
• Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center – Pomona
• Community Regional Medical Center – Fresno
• Kaiser Permanente Medical Center – Roseville
• Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian – Newport Beach

Even the best facilities can make mistakes. If your baby’s care in a NICU was delayed or mishandled, our investigation may reveal preventable errors.

Raising a child with HIE’s long-term effects can be challenging, but California offers programs and organizations that can help:

• California Early Start – Statewide early intervention services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays
  
• California Children’s Services (CCS) – Provides access to specialty care, therapies, and equipment for eligible medical conditions
  
• Medical Therapy Program (MTP) – Offers physical and occupational therapy for children with qualifying disabilities through CCS
  
• DDS Regional Centers – 21 centers statewide coordinate services for individuals with developmental disabilities
  
• The Arc of California – Advocacy and resources for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
  
• United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) affiliates – Local programs supporting individuals with cerebral palsy and other disabilities related to HIE
  

At ABC Law Centers, we understand the emotional, financial, and physical challenges that come with an HIE diagnosis. Our goal is to make the legal process as simple and supportive as possible by:

• Listening to your story with compassion
  
• Reviewing medical records with trusted experts
  
• Explaining your legal rights in clear terms
  
• Handling all communication and negotiations with at-fault medical providers and insurers
  
• Fighting for a resolution that meets your child’s lifelong needs
  

We assist families from every part of the state, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, Riverside, Anaheim, Irvine, Santa Ana, Stockton, and Modesto. Our attorneys will travel to you, collaborate with local counsel, and handle your case from start to finish.