Highest Reported Coles County Verdict or Settlement
showed signs of fetal distress, so Masse called Dr. Benson at 2:35. Dr. Benson arrived at the hospital at 2:48 a.m. and ordered an emergency Cesarean section at 2:49. The delivery team was then called in from home to begin the process of preparing for a C-section. Baby Kiera was delivered via emergency C-section at 3:17 a.m. with an initial Apgar score of 1. Five minutes after birth, the Apgar score was 5, and then improved to 9. However, nine hours later, the newborn suffered a significant seizure and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, resulting in damage to the basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebral cortex. Pltf’s counsel asserted that defts’ negligence and the delayed delivery caused Kiera to sustain mild cerebral palsy, speech and developmental delays, and a seizure disorder, requiring extensive physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, leading to some improvement of her condition. After years of medication, her seizure disorder eventually went into remission. Kiera still has permanent cog- nitive and intellectual disabilities, significant executive function disorder, and memory deficits. However, she was able to play team sports in high school, graduate from high school in 2022, and obtain a driver’s license. Kiera currently works part-time stocking shelves at a hardware store. The defense denied neg- ligence and claimed the baby’s injuries occurred at home before the mother came to the hospital. This is the highest Illinois medical malpractice verdict outside Cook County reported by JVR. The case was the subject of an article in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin on March 27, 2023.
Cari F. Silverman Cari F. Silverman joined Levin & Perconti in 2011, as an attorney, and was named partner in 2020. Cari works on many types of person - al injury and wrongful death cases, including nursing home abuse and neglect, medical malpractice, car and trucking accidents, and product and premises liability matters. At Levin & Perconti, Cari has played a key role in important victories for her clients, including a $20 million verdict on behalf of a child who suffered preventable HIE and asphyxia injuries at birth, resulting in per - manent cognitive and developmental im - pairments, as well as a $12M medical mal - practice settlement.
Miranda L. Soucie Miranda L. Soucie is a leading Trial Attor - ney who fiercely advocates on behalf of her clients who have suffered serious personal injuries. Her cases range from medical mal - practice, catastrophic spinal cord injuries, au - tomobile and trucking crashes, birth injuries, and nursing home abuse and neglect. She serves as 2nd Vice Chair of the AAJ Wom - en Trial Lawyers Caucus Executive Commit - tee, the Board National College of Advocacy (AAJ’s Education Board), and as an Elected Manager of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Associ - ation Board of Managers. In 2019, she was recognized as the Illinois State Bar Associa - tion’s Young Lawyer of the Year.
Levin & Perconti is a nationally renowned law firm committed to pro - tecting and vindicating the rights of people who have been injured due to systemic flaws and profit-driven corporations. The firm concentrates on all types of serious injury, medical malpractice, birth injury, nursing home, and wrongful death litigation. Since 1992, our personal injury team has recovered over a billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for our clients, including a number of record results. Spiros Law, PC was founded in 2005 and is known for their fierce repre - sentation and dedication to fighting for the rights of their injured clients. Spiros Law focuses on representing clients in personal injury cases, in- cluding those involving car accidents, truck accidents, workers’ compen - sation, medical malpractice, and nursing home neglect and understands their devastating impact on clients and families. Spiros Law serves Il- linois with office locations in Champaign, Danville, and Kankakee.
86 JURY VERDICT REPORTER • 2024 ANNUAL TRIAL LAWYER EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Powered by FlippingBook