Preeclampsia
During pregnancy, an expectant mother’s health is crucial to her baby’s wellbeing. But some women develop conditions like preeclampsia that threaten their own health and their baby’s.
The unborn child receives oxygen and nutrients from its mother’s placenta through the umbilical cord. Anything that affects the placenta’s ability to provide adequate blood flow – including preeclampsia – also jeopardizes the baby’s development and ability to receive oxygen-enriched blood flow. A reduction in nutrients can slow the baby’s development, possibly causing intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).
Even worse, reduced blood flow and oxygen can cause birth asphyxia, severe brain damage and birth injury known as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Babies with HIE birth injury usually develop cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and seizure disorders.
Doctors, nurses, and other medical providers owe their patients a legal duty of care. By failing to identify and treat preeclampsia, they breach that duty. This constitutes medical malpractice when it contributes to a birth injury or brain injury like HIE or cerebral palsy.
What is preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia is a severe medical condition that arises during pregnancy usually in the later stages. It is primarily characterized by sudden high blood pressure that usually appears after 20 weeks and often near the end of a woman’s pregnancy. Other symptoms include proteinuria (protein in the urine) and visual changes (seeing spots).
Other pregnancy complications related to high blood pressure include:
- Gestational hypertension: Women with this condition also have sudden onset high blood pressure. However, they do not have other symptoms of preeclampsia, like protein in the urine, but preeclampsia can still develop. Doctors, like obstetricians and maternal fetal medicine specialists caring for a woman with gestational hypertension should monitor her closely to watch for signs that preeclampsia is developing.
- Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, and Low Platelet count syndrome (HELLP): This is a severe form of preeclampsia linked to increased maternal death rates. When HELLP accompanies or follows preeclampsia, the condition attacks a woman’s vital organs. It also harms her baby’s health and development.
- Eclampsia: This condition sometimes develops in women with preeclampsia, especially if misdiagnosed or untreated. Untreated preeclampsia may progress into eclampsia. A mother with this condition suffers severe headaches, altered mental status, and seizures. Eclampsia is a significant cause of maternal death.
Without proper diagnosis and treatment, a pregnant woman with preeclampsia is at risk for life-threatening complications. Her unborn child could also suffer birth injury including brain damage with lifelong consequences due to medical negligence and malpractice.
Obstetricians and other doctors must watch for common risk factors of preeclampsia?
An obstetrician, maternal fetal medicine doctor or other pregnancy medical provider will review an expectant mother’s medical history and current health status during prenatal visits. Blood tests and ultrasounds are typically done to check for any problems in the pregnancy.
Since preeclampsia is dangerous, doctors might watch a mother more closely for its signs and symptoms if any of the following are true:
- It’s the mother’s first pregnancy.
- She became pregnant more than 10 years after her first pregnancy.
- The pregnancy involves more than one fetus.
- The mother had preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy.
- Her mother or sister developed preeclampsia.
- The mother developed complications in a previous pregnancy.
- She is aged 35 or older.
- Her pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30.
- Before becoming pregnant, the mother had chronic hypertension, kidney disease, thrombophilia (blood clotting disorder), diabetes, autoimmune conditions like lupus, or obstructive sleep apnea.
- The mother’s pregnancy was initiated by assistive reproductive technology like in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Doctors have a legal duty to their patients to recognize the potential for serious conditions like preeclampsia. Failing to do so puts the mother’s unborn child at risk for severe brain damage like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and death.
What are the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia?
With thorough monitoring, medical professionals can recognize that an expectant mother has developed preeclampsia and begin treatment. Recognizing an at-risk pregnancy should be the first step. Obstetricians, nurses, and other healthcare providers should also watch for the initial signs and symptoms that a woman is developing preeclampsia:
- Unusual swelling: Foot and ankle swelling is common during pregnancy. However, excessive edema in the face or hands is cause for alarm.
- Headaches: Women who are developing preeclampsia may start having unusual headaches that don’t subside with treatment.
- Vision problems: Preeclampsia can cause changes in eyesight. Some women may see spots.
- Changes in overall conditions: Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sudden weight gain, and shortness of breath.
In addition to these symptoms, an expectant mother with severe preeclampsia may begin to experience:
- Blood pressure readings above 160 systolic over 110 diastolic.
- Reduced number of platelets in the blood,
- Fluid in the lungs,
- Increasingly severe (blinding) headaches, and
- Pain in the stomach and upper abdomen,
Some women do not notice symptoms of early, mild preeclampsia. That’s why it is so vital for her doctor to identify her risks and monitor her more closely.
How do doctors diagnose preeclampsia?
During prenatal visits, doctors should watch for sudden increases in blood pressure.
- For a woman with previously normal blood pressure, “high” might mean a systolic reading of 140 or more or a diastolic of 90 or more.
- For women with chronic high blood pressure, a reading of 160 or more systolic over 110 or more diastolic is considered sudden onset high blood pressure.
Generally, healthcare providers should take blood pressure readings on two separate occasions at least four hours apart to ensure the accuracy of the high reading.
Doctors also routinely test a woman’s urine to diagnose preeclampsia. Most women with preeclampsia begin to secrete protein in their urine (proteinuria). Increased protein levels coupled with high blood pressure could be enough to diagnose preeclampsia. However, some women do not develop proteinuria.
In the absence of proteinuria, doctors should conduct blood tests looking for the following:
- Renal insufficiency,
- Impaired liver function,
- Low platelet count (thrombocytopenia).
Finally, doctors may treat symptoms like shortness of breath and new-onset headaches before deciding preeclampsia is to blame.
But obstetricians and other medical providers working with a pregnant woman must also monitor the baby’s wellbeing. It’s crucial to do the following tests:
- Ultrasounds: The doctor can check the baby’s growth and development, amniotic fluid levels, and the placenta’s condition.
- Nonstress test: This test checks the baby’s heart. Fetal distress can indicate that the baby is affected by the mother’s preeclampsia, uterine rupture, or placental abruption.
- Biophysical profile: Doctors and nurses combine the nonstress test results with ultrasound findings.
Failing to conduct tests and increase monitoring in a timely manner can cause significantly more severe complications. The baby of a mother with preeclampsia may experience growth delays due to the reduced blood flow. Brain injury like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) can occur, especially if preeclampsia goes unnoticed or untreated.
How should preeclampsia be managed?
Doctors should begin treating preeclampsia with:
- increased prenatal visits so the mother and baby can be monitored and tested more frequently,
- at-home blood pressure testing,
- bed rest or an in-patient hospital stay, and
- daily kick counts by the mother.
Mothers with more serious preeclampsia symptoms may be hospitalized for observation. While there, doctors might administer antenatal corticosteroids to improve the baby’s lung development. Magnesium sulfate is sometimes given to control high blood pressure and prevent seizures in the mother.
Antenatal Corticosteroids: Antenatal steroids, also known as antenatal corticosteroids, are medications administered to pregnant women expecting a preterm birth. When administered, these steroids accelerate the maturation of the fetus' lungs, which reduces the likelihood of infant respiratory distress syndrome and infant mortality.
Early delivery of the baby may be discussed as an option. Signs of fetal distress move delivery from an option to a requirement because the baby is in danger of brain injury.
- If the mother’s pregnancy is less than 34 weeks and the baby’s condition is stable, doctors typically delay C-section or induction. This gives the baby more time to develop before being born.
- However, immediate delivery is necessary if the baby appears to be in trouble such as suffering from fetal distress. Fetal heart monitoring provides important signs that the baby is in trouble through tachycardia (fast heart rate) or bradycardia (slow heart rate).
- At 37 weeks, doctors may induce labor using Pitocin and Cytotec as long as the baby is doing well. Otherwise, an emergency C-section should be done without delay.
Failing to manage or treat preeclampsia can lead to life-threatening consequences for a mother and her baby.
What are the complications of preeclampsia?
Mothers with unchecked high blood pressure can have strokes that cause long-term neurological problems or are fatal. Other maternal complications include:
- Labor induction,
- Emergency C-section,
- Placental abruption that causes heavy bleeding, and
- Eclampsia, which has a high fatality rate.
Babies also suffer due to complications associated with preeclampsia, including:
- Pre-term birth that can lead to developmental and cognitive delays;
- Low birth weight (less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces),
- Hypoxia (reduced oxygen) and birth asphyxia,
- Ischemia (reduced blood flow), and
- Brain injuries or birth injuries, including hypoxic-ischemic ischemia encephalopathy (HIE).
Newborn infants with HIE birth injuries often develop cerebral palsy, cognitive disabilities, developmental delays, seizure disorders, vision disabilities, and hearing impairment. When this happens due to medical negligence, medical malpractice has occurred. The families of babies with a HIE birth injury may be entitled to compensation from the medical professionals who failed them.
Can preeclampsia be prevented?
Attempts can and should be made to minimize or prevent preeclampsia. When a doctor realizes that a woman can be at risk for preeclampsia, low-dose aspirin therapy can help.
Other preventive actions include:
- increased monitoring,
- more frequent prenatal visits,
- at-home blood pressure monitoring,
- eating healthy foods and following a healthy lifestyle.
Even with interventions, at-risk women can still develop preeclampsia. As her blood pressure rises and other symptoms set in, her baby’s risk of complications increases, too.
Where Medical Providers Go Wrong
Doctors, nurses, midwives, other healthcare workers, and hospitals owe their patients a duty of care. Their duty involves providing appropriate care at all times. When caring for an expectant mother, they are holding the lives of two patients in their hands.
But sometimes they fail their patients.
Medical professionals treating a pregnant woman with preeclampsia commit medical negligence by:
- Missing or overlooking the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia,
- Failing to discuss options and risks with the mother,
- Failing to recognize signs of maternal or fetal distress, and
- Failing to deliver the baby by emergency C-section when necessary.
The only way to “cure” preeclampsia is to deliver the baby. This must be done if the symptoms of preeclampsia cannot be controlled during the pregnancy or labor and delivery process. Failing to delivery timely when the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia worsen can result in a birth injury to the baby and a potentially fatal outcome for their mother.
The families of mothers and children injured by medical negligence related to failures in the diagnosis, treatment and management of preeclampsia may be entitled to compensation from their medical providers. But it’s crucial that they discuss their case with experienced birth injury lawyers.
Is Your Child’s Birth Injury the Result of Medical Malpractice?
The parents of children who suffered birth injuries often want answers. They want to know what happened to harm their child’s brain. Were there signs of preeclampsia that the doctors and nurses failed to recognize and/or failed to respond to in a timely manner? Did they delay or even fail to consider delivering the baby by C-section despite signs of fetal distress and/or worsening preeclampsia?
Our dedicated birth injury lawyers want to help you find those answers.
We diligently investigate the facts, including a detailed examination of the fetal heart monitor strips and labor and delivery records. If this review shows the medical providers did not diagnose or respond to fetal distress, we hold responsible parties accountable by pursuing medical malpractice claims against them. The compensation our clients receive helps them pay for their child’s current and future medical treatment, assistive technology and equipment, attendant care, and the other expenses associated with caring for a child with brain injuries, seizure disorders, and cerebral palsy.
Sometimes families are afraid to talk to lawyers about their child’s case because they worry there is a fee. There is never a fee unless and until we make money recovery for our clients.
Why Should You Talk with the Knowledgeable Attorneys at Miller Weisbrod?
The only way to find out if you have a birth injury case is to talk to an attorney who understands birth injury.
At Miller Weisbrod, a team of committed professionals uses our detailed case review process to assess your potential claim. They start by learning more about you and your child. Then we gather medical records to determine what happened before, during, and after your delivery. We call in skilled medical experts who review your records and let us know if they think medical errors could have caused your child’s injuries.
If we feel medical malpractice was present, we meet with you to discuss how you can receive compensation from the medical professionals who made the errors.
At no point in our legal intake process will we ask you to pay anything. The medical review of your case and the consultation are free. We only receive payment when you do.
Contact Miller Weisbrod
Our Birth Injury Attorneys
Les Weisbrod
Les Weisbrod has been on the cutting edge of the national birth injury litigation scene for almost 40 years.
As a national birth injury attorney, Les has settled over 204 medical negligence cases for more than $1,000,000. He also obtained settlements in 75 birth injury cases for over $1,000,000 each.
His $31 million verdict against Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas was one of the top 100 verdicts in the United States that given year.
Les is recognized nationally and internationally as one of the top plaintiff’s medical malpractice trial lawyers in the United States. But the recoveries for the clients and the differences made in the lives of the children and families Les has represented tell only part of the story.
Les has worked with his law partner Clay Miller for years to build a one-of-a-kind law firm.
Miller Weisbrod provides unique and unparalleled services to families of birth-injured and brain-injured children from the moment the firm decides to take the case.
The registered nurses and registered nurse-attorneys on staff are valuable team members who assist Miller Weisbrod birth-injury clients. Les has designed a system where each birth injured child is assigned a nurse-attorney liaison to guide them through the process of medical treatment/evaluation, therapies, home assistance, and quality of life improvement.
Miller Weisbrod’s unmatched service allows families to better cope with the immediate challenges facing our young clients.
Birth-injured children and their families are Les and Miller Weisbrod’s priority.
Les and the attorneys at Miller Weisbrod fight for the justice their clients are entitled to under our nation’s system of justice.
This fighting spirit has taken Les across the United States to represent clients in birth injury and medical negligence cases. In fact, he has personally handled cases not only in Texas but also in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Utah, Iowa, Ohio, Oregon, Montana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and New York.
Les and Miller Weisbrod continue to expand their reach of helping brain-injured children to new states each year as we strive to bring a sense of justice to each affected family. And Les is not the only one who notices he fights for his clients.
Michael Rustad, a Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School in Boston who has done extensive research on punitive damage awards, says,
“Les Weisbrod has obtained more medical malpractice punitive damage jury verdicts for his clients than any other attorney in the United States.”
Also, a well-known defense medical malpractice attorney dubbed Les Weisbrod the “pitbull” of the Texas medical malpractice bar in a media profile of Les published by a major newspaper.
Les shares his experience and knowledge to improve the representation of all birth-injured children and their families.
In the early 1990s, Les recognized that a more focused effort needed to be made to educate attorneys who handle birth injury cases. As a result, Les was the founding Co-Chair of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Birth Trauma Litigation Group in 1991. He also was a founding Co-Chair of AAJ’s Medical Negligence Litigation Group in 1999 and served as Chair of AAJ’s Professional Negligence Section in 1996.
Combined, these groups have put on more than a hundred continuing education seminars across the United States. helping to educate other attorneys by bringing in world-renowned experts in the fields of:
- labor and delivery
- neonatal care
- the care and treatment of birth-injured children, including those suffering from cerebral palsy and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
Education and professional experiences back up his dedication to helping children and families harmed by medical malpractice.
Les received his B.A. magna cum laude in 1975 from Claremont Men’s College and his J.D. in 1978 from Southern Methodist University Law School.
He is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law and Civil Trial Law.
Les was a past president of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association in 1993. He has been a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association Board of Directors since 1990.
His work with the American Association for Justice (AAJ) (formerly ATLA) includes serving as President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian. Mr. Weisbrod has also served on the AAJ Board of Governors since 1998 and the 17-member Executive Committee of AAJ since 2001. In 1990, he was chosen as a Rising Star of the ATLA and presented a paper entitled “Dirt and Greed: A New Look at Medical Malpractice Cases.”
Les has written and lectured extensively on birth injury litigation, medical malpractice, and medical product topics.
Les is a contributing author to the 1996 text Operative Obstetrics published by Williams & Wilkins. He also co-authored the “Drugs & Medical Devices” chapter in AAJ’s Litigating Tort Cases.
He also has lectured to lawyer groups across the U.S., Canada, England, and Australia.
Education
- Southern Methodist University - School of Law, J.D. - Dallas, Texas, 1978
- Claremont Men's College - B.A. - Claremont, California, 1975
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Products Liability
- Personal Injury
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- National Association Of Distinguished Counsel
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- American Association for Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
- Pan-European Organization of Personal Injury Lawyers
- American Society of Law and Medicine
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association
- Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas and American Bar Associations
- ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates)
Clay Miller
Clay is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Clay has practiced solely in the field of catastrophic injury and wrongful death since graduating from law school. His practice has been limited to the representation of victims. Over the past twenty-four years, Clay has successfully settled or tried to verdict cases in the areas of vehicular negligence, medical malpractice, construction site accidents, workplace injury, premises liability, and commercial trucking and a nationwide business loss case (suits filed in a dozen different states) involving defective truck engines sold to trucking companies.
Clay represented dozens of trucking companies in lost profit and diminished value claims against Caterpillar in 2010 through 2012. These cases were filed in over a dozen states with the bellwhether trial set in Federal Court in Davenport, Iowa. After intense litigation and trial preparation, a global confidential settlement was reached for all the clients.
Clay's most recent 2017 victories are a $30,800,000 jury verdict in Tennessee arising from fraud claims in the sale of heavy-duty truck engines and a $26,500,000 jury verdict in a construction accident, obtained within 60 days of each other.
Clay was raised in Lewisville, Texas and completed his undergraduate degree in Finance at
Texas A & M University. Following graduation from Southern Methodist University School of law, Clay worked for two Dallas firms representing victims. In 1998, Clay began his own practice before forming his current partnership. In addition to his law practice, Clay has lectured at seminars and published in the areas of construction accidents, jury selection techniques, medical negligence, trucking accidents and settlement tactics.
He is active in local and statewide trial lawyers' associations including serving as the Chair of the Advocates for the Texas Trial Lawyers' Association in 2002 and remains on the Board of Directors. Clay served as President of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association from 2008-2009. He has also been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) since 2014.
Education
- Southern Methodist University School of Law - Dallas, Texas
- Texas A&M University - Finance - College Station, Texas
Areas of Practice
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- State Bar of New Mexico
- State Bar of Colorado
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers’ Association
- American Association of Justice
David Olesky
David Olesky is Vice Chair of the Health Care Professional Liability practice. David is a trial lawyer focusing his practice on complex litigation matters that involve defending and protecting clients in all types of cases related to catastrophic injuries or death, but with a special focus on birth injury cases. David regularly advises his health care clients on the issues and challenges that they face on a daily basis. Clients repeatedly look to him for guidance to handle such high stakes cases and matters in Texas and jurisdictions outside of Texas.
David has earned the trust and reliance of clients he has worked with by consistently getting the results that matter most to them, whether that is a win at trial or a favorable outcome through alternative dispute resolution outside the courthouse. Through his representation, David demonstrates a true loyalty and hardworking commitment to the clients that he serves.
David believes the foundation of any client relationship is to act as a trusted advisor instead of simply as a litigator. Clients value his earnest representation of their business interests, accompanied by a devotion to understanding their businesses, prompt attention to their immediate needs and the challenges they face in their individual roles.
Education
- Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, J.D., 1992 - Dallas, Texas
- University of Texas, B.B.A, 1989 - Austin, Texas
Areas of Practice
Associations & Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Foundation Fellow
- Texas Bar Association
Alexandra V. Boone
Alexandra Boone is a partner in Miller Weisbrod. She concentrates her legal practice in the area of birth injury, medical malpractice and mass tort products liability. Alex currently works directly with firm partner Les Weisbrod in managing the birth injury docket and working with the firm’s highly qualified expert witnesses in the review of potential cases. Alex also litigates her own docket of medical negligence cases.
Over the course of her 17 years with the firm, Alex has focused on the administration and prosecution of mass tort litigation, originally focusing on occupational toxins, but more recently in the area of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In the past, she has actively pursed cases involving hormone therapy, Vioxx, Fosamax, and Reglan. Alex was also instrumental in our firm successfully resolving thousands of cases transvaginal mesh, hip prosthetics, and the blood thinner Xarelto. She is actively prosecuting over 1,000 cases.
In addition to being a member of the Texas bar, she is also licensed in Oklahoma and is a member of the American Association of Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Oklahoma Association of Justice and the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association.
Education
- Baylor University - School of Law, 1996, J.D. - Waco, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Products Liability
- Mass Tort
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Oklahoma Association of Justice
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Pro Bono Activities
- East Texas Legal Services/Nix Law Firm Pro Bono Project, 1996 - 1997
Robert Wolf
Robert E. Wolf was born in Dallas, Texas and graduated Magna Cum Laude as a proud horned frog from Texas Christian University in 1997, with Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board. He obtained his law degree from Southern Methodist University in 2000 while serving as an Articles Editor for the International Law Review and winning awards at Mock Trial and Appellate competitions.
Robert has been named a Thomson Reuters | Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star (less than 2.5% of attorneys in Texas receive this distinction) in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Further, Robert was recognized as a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 attorney for Texas in 2012 (no more than 40 attorneys in Texas are eligible for this award annually).
Robert brought his passion for and over 14 years of experience of representing seriously injured individuals and their families to Miller Weisbrod in January 2015, and has concentrated his legal practice in the area of medical malpractice, products liability, and pharmaceutical/mass tort litigation. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Dallas Trial Lawyers Association.
In addition to many successful jury verdicts and settlements across Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Idaho, Robert’s role as an attorney representing victims and their families has led to numerous changes to key safety practices and policies and procedures at corporations and medical facilities.
Robert and his wife Suzy also get plenty of exercise trying to keep up with their precious and very active daughter.
Education
- Southern Methodist University - Dedman School of Law, J.D. - 2000 - Dallas, Texas
- Texas Christian University - B.S. Political Science - 1997 - Fort Worth, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Personal Injury
- Products Liability
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Carrie Vine
Carrie Lynn Vine has over 15 years of experience in medical malpractice litigation, with a particular focus in representing children and families who have suffered birth injuries as a result of the negligence of either doctors, nurses or hospitals.
She is a passionate advocate for her clients and has handled hundreds of birth injury and birth trauma cases throughout the United States. As part of Carrie’s national birth injury legal practice, she has handled cases in Texas, Arkansas, California, Nevada, Kentucky, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and North Dakota. She is determined to seek justice and works to obtain fair compensation for the children and families she represents.
Carrie earned her law degree from Northern Illinois University where she tutored other law students. Prior to law school, she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in Biomedical and Biological Science, and earned both a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in Anthropological Genetics. She then conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Michigan Medical School before deciding to attend law school. She applies an academic mindset and love of science and medicine to mastering the medical principles and literature relevant to the cases she pursues.
Carrie is an active member of the American Association of Justice as well as the Birth Trauma Litigation Group (BLTG).
Education
- Northern Illinois University:
Law School
- University of Notre Dame:
Biomedical Science
- Pennsylvania State University:
Anthropological Genetics
Areas of Practice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Medical Malpractice
Associations & Memberships
- American Association of Justice:
Member
- Birth Trauma Litigation Group:
Member
Larry Lassiter
Lawrence R. Lassiter is an AV-rated attorney with more than twenty years of experience in appellate and trial advocacy. He has been consulted by attorneys across the country to conduct research, evaluate cases, prepare appellate and trial briefs, and formulate litigation strategy. He has prepared hundreds of appellate briefs in federal and state appellate courts, including the highest courts of Texas, West Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio, Nebraska and Tennessee, and he is member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. Larry has a national appellate and legal briefing practice. Larry has filed extensive briefs and/or argued before either state or federal courts in 30 out of 50 states in his career.
Larry assists the Birth Injury team in all aspects of legal briefing. Unlike many other birth injury firms across the United States, Miller Weisbrod has an attorney dedicated to handling legal briefing on behalf of our clients across the country. Larry has handled extensive briefing in birth injury and other medical malpractice cases in Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Ohio, Alabama, Georgia, New York, Utah, Arizona, Louisiana and West Virginia.
Since joining Miller Weisbrod in 2010, Larry has won a number of important victories vindicating the rights of our clients in both state and federal appellate courts, including Vitacost.com, Inc. v. McCants, 210 So.3d 761 (Fla. Ct. App. 2017); TTHR Ltd. Partnership v. Moreno, 401 S.W.3d 41 (Tex. 2013); In re E.B., 729 S.E.2d 271 (W. Va. 2012); Mid-Continent Cas. Co. v. Davis, 683 F.3d 651 (5th Cir. 2012); Rouhani v. Morgan, 2017 WL 3526719 (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.] 2017, no pet.); Mid-Continent Cas. Co. v. Andregg Contracting, Inc., 391 S.W.3d 573 (Tex. App. – Dallas 2012).
He was as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Harlington Wood Jr., Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Larry was a University of Iowa Presidential Scholar and served as Editor in Chief of the Iowa Law Review.
Larry is an active member of the American Association for Justice. He is a member of AAJ’s Birth Injury Litigation Group and Medical Negligence Sections.
Education
- University of Iowa - Political Science & History - B.A. - Iowa City, Iowa
- University of Iowa - School of Law - J.D. - Iowa City, Iowa
Areas of Practice
- Appellate Advocacy
- Medical Malpractice
- Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices
- Products Liability
- Personal Injury
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Laurie Pierce
Laurie draws upon extensive experience in state and federal courts with a focus on complex claims involving medical malpractice cases. After many years of defending health care providers and hospital systems in medical malpractice cases, Laurie joined David Olesky in the national birth injury and medical negligence practice at Miller Weisbrod Olesky.
Laurie’s focus is to understand not only the facts and circumstances of the matter at hand, but to understand the specific needs and goals of the client and their unique business considerations. Her extensive background in commercial litigation provides a foundation that enhances her health care litigation practice. She works with clients that require more than a strong trial lawyer; they expect an attorney who understands the relationship between law and their specific business and who will work tirelessly to protect their rights, interests and bottom line.
Education
- Southern Methodist University:
Dedman School of Law - 1992
- Order of the Coif:
Journal of Air Law and Commerce, J.D. - 1992
- Miami University-Oxford, Ohio
B.S. Education - 1982
Areas of Practice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Health Care Industry
- Health Care Litigation
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Medical Malpractice
Associations & Memberships
- American Association for Justice
- American Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Foundation Fellow
- Texas Bar Association
Distinctions
- Admitted to Pro Bono College of State Bar of Texas in 2019 for outstanding delivery of legal services to low-income Texans
Court Admissions
- United States Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
Linda Cuaderes
Linda Cuaderes is both a registered nurse and a licensed lawyer. Linda works exclusively in Miller Weisbrod’s Birth Injury and Medical Malpractice section. Linda acts as the firm’s patient advocate and liaison with our young clients and their parents.
Linda combines her legal and nursing experience along with her exceptional organizational talent and attention to detail to make sure each child we represent is provided the highest level of medical care and attendant care during the pendency of their case. Linda communicates with our parent clients regularly to monitor their birth injured child’s treatment, provide guidance as to additional care and therapies and when necessary assist them in obtaining specialized medical providers.
Linda was raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honors at the University of Oklahoma. She started as an Oncology Nurse at Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City, quickly becoming the Assistant Head Nurse of the Outpatient Endoscopy Unit. Linda then entered the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Following graduation, Linda joined Les Weisbrod in the Medical Malpractice Section. After taking time off to raise her three lovely children, Linda returned to Miller Weisbrod and her passion of holding healthcare providers accountable for preventable errors. Linda is active in the American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Dallas Trial Lawyers Association, and the Texas Bar Association. Linda is an active member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group and Medical Negligence Section of the American Association for Justice.
She is admitted to practice before the Texas Supreme Court and routinely works on cases pending throughout the United States. Linda has worked with child victims of birth injury, their parents and other victims of medical malpractice in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Iowa, Ohio, New York, Alabama, Georgia, Arizona, Utah and Missouri.
Education
- University of Oklahoma - School of Law, 1990, J.D. - Norman, Oklahoma
- University of Oklahoma - School of Nursing, 1985 - Norman, Oklahoma
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
Associations & Memberships
- Texas Bar Association
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Kristin Jones
Kristin combines her medical and legal training to provide invaluable, passionate service to parents struggling to care for their birth-injured children. Families often have questions as they go through the birth injury lawsuit process. Kristin diligently identifies and investigates all medical issues so the birth injury attorneys at Miller Weisbrod can answer those questions. Kristin ensures that our birth injured children’s medical records are thoroughly reviewed and organized. Miller Weisbrod’s birth trauma litigation attorneys and medical experts retained by the firm need her services while pursuing justice for our clients.
Education
- SMU Dedman School of Law - Dallas, Texas
- University of Texas at Arlington - Arlington, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Matt Adair
Matt Adair is an attorney specializing in medical malpractice, products liability, and pharmaceutical litigation. He received his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. During his time there, he studied abroad at the New College at Oxford University in Oxford, England.
Matt is a member of the State Bar of Texas, American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Dallas Trial Lawyers Association.
Education
- University of Notre Dame - Philosophy, B.A. 2012 - Notre Dame, Indiana
- Baylor University - School of Law J.D. 2015 - Waco, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Products Liability
- Pharmaceutical Litigation
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Garrett Stanford
Garrett Stanford was born in Dallas, Texas and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2017 with a B.A. in Political Science. After graduation, he attended Baylor University School of Law. During his time at Baylor, he was a member of the Order of the Barristers and he won the Judge W.C. Davis Endowed Criminal Practice Professional Track Award. He obtained his law degree and license to practice law in 2020.
Garrett joined Miller Weisbrod in August 2021. His legal practice is concentrated in the area of birth injury and medical malpractice. Garret is actively involved in handling birth injury and medical malpractice cases in Texas, Ohio, Utah, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Education
- Southern Methodist University - Political Science, B.S. - Dallas, Texas
- University of Baylor - School of Law, J.D. - Waco, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
Meet our Legal Nursing Team
Linda Chalk
As a registered nurse, Linda practiced ICU nursing for 44 years while caring for a wide range of patient conditions. She has worked closely with founding partner Les Weisbrod for over 30 years, investigating and pursuing birth injury cases.
Along with DJ Weisbrod, Linda heads up the firm’s birth injury intake, screening, and medical literature research team. She personally screens all potential cases to ensure that medical issues have been addressed before we file lawsuits on behalf of birth-injured children and their families.
DJ Weisbrod
Before joining Miller Weisbrod, DJ practiced as a surgical nurse in various hospital and operative settings. She has been with the firm over 30 years.
DJ directs Miller Weisbrod’s birth injury intake and medical screening team. She has also served as firm founder Les Weisbrod’s trial nurse for all cases involving medical negligence and birth injury.
Linda Cuaderes
Linda Cuaderes is both a registered nurse and a licensed lawyer. Linda works exclusively in Miller Weisbrod’s Birth Injury and Medical Malpractice section. Linda acts as the firm’s patient advocate and liaison with our young clients and their parents.
Linda combines her legal and nursing experience along with her exceptional organizational talent and attention to detail to make sure each child we represent is provided the highest level of medical care and attendant care during the pendency of their case. Linda communicates with our parent clients regularly to monitor their birth injured child’s treatment, provide guidance as to additional care and therapies and when necessary assist them in obtaining specialized medical providers.
Linda was raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honors at the University of Oklahoma. She started as an Oncology Nurse at Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City, quickly becoming the Assistant Head Nurse of the Outpatient Endoscopy Unit. Linda then entered the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Following graduation, Linda joined Les Weisbrod in the Medical Malpractice Section. After taking time off to raise her three lovely children, Linda returned to Miller Weisbrod and her passion of holding healthcare providers accountable for preventable errors. Linda is active in the American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Dallas Trial Lawyers Association, and the Texas Bar Association. Linda is an active member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group and Medical Negligence Section of the American Association for Justice.
She is admitted to practice before the Texas Supreme Court and routinely works on cases pending throughout the United States. Linda has worked with child victims of birth injury, their parents and other victims of medical malpractice in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Iowa, Ohio, New York, Alabama, Georgia, Arizona, Utah and Missouri.
Education
- University of Oklahoma - School of Law, 1990, J.D. - Norman, Oklahoma
- University of Oklahoma - School of Nursing, 1985 - Norman, Oklahoma
Areas of Practice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Medical Malpractice
Associations & Memberships
- Texas Bar Association
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Kristin Jones
Kristin combines her medical and legal training to provide invaluable, passionate service to parents struggling to care for their birth-injured children.
Families often have questions as they go through the birth injury lawsuit process. Kristin diligently identifies and investigates all medical issues so the birth injury attorneys at Miller Weisbrod can answer those questions Kristin ensures that our birth injured children’s medical records are thoroughly reviewed and organized. Miller Weisbrod’s birth trauma litigation attorneys and medical experts retained by the firm need her services while pursuing justice for our clients.
Kelly Kunkel
Kelly Kunkel was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She has 15 years’ experience in hospital based High Risk Obstetrics and Labor and Delivery bedside nursing care. Kelly graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from El Centro College in December of 1990 and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from West Texas A&M University in 2008; graduating with honors.
In addition, Kelly has over 25 years’ experience in medical malpractice case management and litigation and has worked with David Olesky for over 22 years. After many years of assisting in defending healthcare providers and hospital systems in medical malpractice cases involving complex litigation matters related to birth injury, catastrophic injury and death, Kelly has proudly joined David Olesky in the national birth injury and medical negligence practice at Miller Weisbrod Olesky.