Baltimore preeclampsia lawyers represent mothers and families harmed when doctors, OB-GYNs, or hospitals fail to diagnose or properly manage preeclampsia during pregnancy.
Under Maryland medical malpractice claims in Baltimore, providers may be liable when they dismiss warning signs such as high blood pressure, swelling, headaches, or protein in the urine and a mother or baby suffers harm.
Preeclampsia can progress quickly from mild to life-threatening, causing serious complications for both mother and child. Furman Honick Law holds negligent providers accountable, offers free consultations, and handles preeclampsia negligence cases on a contingency fee basis.
Call 410-406-7890 to have your prenatal records reviewed at no cost.
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Why Furman Honick Law Takes Preeclampsia Cases Personally
Preeclampsia malpractice cases demand both medical knowledge and courtroom skill that most firms do not carry together. Furman Honick Law has a track record of handling birth injury and medical malpractice claims in Baltimore and across Maryland.
Founding partner Dustin Furman began his legal career at a prominent medical malpractice firm and has lectured at both the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Georgetown University School of Medicine on medical-legal issues.
Together, Furman Honick Law's attorneys have recovered over $80 million for their clients and earned 230+ 5-star reviews from clients across Baltimore.
Birth Injury and Malpractice Results
Allen Honick secured a $10 million medical malpractice settlement and a $2 million settlement for failure to prescribe medication at discharge.
Both partners have tried hundreds of cases and have earned recognition from Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Best Lawyers "Ones to Watch," and National Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyers. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
How We Approach Preeclampsia Claims
We obtain the full prenatal record, including blood pressure logs, lab results, and provider notes. We then work with qualified medical professionals who review whether the treating provider followed accepted standards for monitoring and managing hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.
If the evidence shows a failure in care, we build the case for trial from the start.
What Standard of Care Do Baltimore Doctors Owe Pregnant Patients with Preeclampsia?
Obstetricians and midwives in Baltimore owe pregnant patients a duty to screen for, diagnose, and manage preeclampsia according to accepted medical guidelines.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Practice Bulletin 222 is commonly used by obstetric providers and medical experts when evaluating diagnosis and management of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia.
Under those guidelines, providers should monitor blood pressure throughout prenatal care, and persistent or repeated readings at or above 140/90 mmHg after 20 weeks generally require further evaluation.
That testing typically includes urine protein screening, liver function panels, and platelet counts.
The standard of care also requires providers to distinguish between preeclampsia with and without severe features, because the two demand very different management plans.
- Preeclampsia without severe features may allow for close outpatient monitoring with at least weekly in-clinic visits, serial lab work, and fetal assessment
- Preeclampsia with severe features, which includes blood pressure at or above 160/110 mmHg, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets, or kidney dysfunction, typically requires hospitalization, magnesium sulfate for seizure prevention, and delivery planning
- HELLP syndrome, a complication involving hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count, demands immediate action and often emergency delivery
- Eclampsia, marked by seizures in a patient with preeclampsia, requires urgent stabilization and delivery
Any failure to follow these recognized standards during pregnancy may form the basis of a malpractice claim. The question in every preeclampsia case is whether a competent provider in the same position would have acted differently.
Where Do Providers Fail in Preeclampsia Cases?
Providers fail in preeclampsia cases by missing elevated blood pressure readings, ignoring reported symptoms, delaying lab work, or waiting too long to deliver the baby.
These breakdowns in prenatal care represent the most common forms of preeclampsia malpractice in Baltimore.
The failures tend to follow recognizable patterns that a qualified medical reviewer may identify in the prenatal record.
- Failing to check blood pressure accurately or frequently enough during prenatal visits
- Dismissing symptoms like sudden swelling, severe headaches, vision changes, or upper abdominal pain as normal pregnancy discomfort
- Delaying lab work after elevated blood pressure readings
- Failing to refer the patient to a maternal-fetal medicine provider when risk factors are present
- Waiting too long to deliver the baby when the mother or fetus shows signs of distress
Each of these failures may represent a departure from the accepted standard of obstetric care. In Maryland, that departure becomes the foundation of a preeclampsia malpractice claim when it directly causes harm to the mother, the baby, or both.
What Harm May Preeclampsia Malpractice Cause?
Unmanaged preeclampsia may cause organ damage, stroke, preterm birth, developmental delays in the child, and in the most severe cases, death of the mother or baby. The type and severity of harm often depend on how long the condition went undiagnosed or undertreated.
Harm to the Mother
Organ damage including kidney failure, liver rupture, and stroke may result from uncontrolled preeclampsia.
Placental abruption, where the placenta separates from the uterus, may cause life-threatening bleeding. Eclamptic seizures put the mother at risk for brain injury, coma, or death.
Harm to the Baby
Preterm delivery, often necessary when preeclampsia becomes severe, may lead to breathing problems, developmental delays, and extended stays in neonatal intensive care.
Restricted blood flow through the placenta may cause low birth weight or fetal growth restriction. In the worst cases, unmanaged preeclampsia leads to stillbirth.
Compensation in a Baltimore Preeclampsia Malpractice Case
| Damage Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Economic damages (no cap in Maryland) | Past and future medical bills, NICU costs, lost wages, cost of ongoing therapy or special education, home health care |
| Noneconomic damages (capped under Maryland law) | Physical pain, emotional distress, loss of quality of life, loss of parent-child bond |
| Wrongful death damages (if applicable) | Funeral expenses, lost financial support, loss of companionship |
Maryland places a cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases under Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Code § 3-2A-09. That cap increases by $15,000 each January. No cap applies to economic damages like medical bills, NICU stays, or lost income.
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What Does Maryland Require Before Filing a Preeclampsia Malpractice Lawsuit?
Maryland medical malpractice claims must satisfy several procedural requirements, including three key early requirements: a filing with the Health Care Alternative Dispute Resolution Office, a certificate of a qualified expert, and compliance with the statute of limitations. Missing any one of these may result in dismissal of your claim.
Mandatory Filing with the Health Care ADR Office
Every medical malpractice claim in Maryland must first go through the Health Care Alternative Dispute Resolution Office (HCADRO). Either side may waive arbitration, but the claim must still begin at HCADRO before moving to circuit court.
Certificate of a Qualified Expert
Under Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Code § 3-2A-04, the plaintiff must file a certificate of a qualified expert within 90 days of filing the initial claim.
A qualified health care provider must review the case and certify that the provider departed from accepted standards of care and that the departure proximately caused the injury.
Maryland law requires that provider to meet statutory experience and specialty requirements, which may include experience in the defendant's specialty, a related field, or the specific field of care involved.
Statute of Limitations for Preeclampsia Cases
Maryland allows three years from the date a patient discovers the injury to file a malpractice claim. An outer limit of five years from the date the negligence occurred also applies under Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Code § 5-109.
Special rules may extend those deadlines when the patient is a minor or has a qualifying disability.
Because preeclampsia injuries sometimes take time to fully appear, especially developmental harm to a child, the discovery date becomes particularly significant in these claims.
Ask Furman Honick Law
Q: My doctor said my blood pressure was borderline but did not order any follow-up tests. Is that malpractice?
A: It might be. ACOG guidelines generally require providers to order follow-up testing when blood pressure reaches or exceeds 140/90 mmHg after 20 weeks of pregnancy. If your provider recorded borderline readings and failed to order urine protein screening, liver function panels, or platelet counts, that failure may fall below the standard of care. A qualified medical professional reviews the records to make that determination.
Q: My baby was born premature because of preeclampsia. Do I have a case?
A: Maybe. Premature birth alone does not prove malpractice. The question is whether your provider diagnosed and managed the preeclampsia according to accepted standards. If earlier intervention, closer monitoring, or a timely delivery might have prevented premature birth or reduced harm to your baby, you may have a claim.
Q: I had preeclampsia at a Baltimore hospital and my symptoms got worse before anyone responded. What do I do now?
A: Contact a Baltimore preeclampsia lawyer to have your prenatal and hospital records reviewed. Furman Honick Law reviews these records at no cost and works with qualified medical professionals to determine whether the delay in care fell below accepted standards.
FAQs for Baltimore Preeclampsia Lawyers
How long do preeclampsia malpractice cases take in Maryland?
Most preeclampsia malpractice cases in Maryland take one to three years from filing through resolution. The HCADRO filing, certificate of qualified expert requirement, and discovery process all add time.
Cases involving injuries to newborns may take longer because the full extent of developmental harm may not be clear right away.
Do I pay anything upfront to hire a Baltimore preeclampsia lawyer?
No. Furman Honick Law takes preeclampsia malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis. You owe no fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf. The initial record review and consultation are free.
My child has developmental delays that may be linked to preeclampsia. Is it too late to file?
It depends on when the injury was discovered. Maryland's discovery rule starts the three-year clock when you knew or reasonably should have known about the harm.
For children, special rules may extend the filing deadline. Speaking with an attorney promptly helps protect your timeline.
Who gets sued in a preeclampsia malpractice case?
The claim typically names the OB-GYN, midwife, or other prenatal provider who managed the pregnancy. It may also name the hospital if systemic failures in staffing, protocols, or supervision contributed to the harm.
Maryland law allows claims against any party whose negligence played a direct role in the injury.
Does preeclampsia malpractice only apply if the mother was harmed?
No. Preeclampsia malpractice claims may involve harm to the mother, the baby, or both. Premature birth, fetal growth restriction, developmental delays, and stillbirth may all form the basis of a claim if a provider's failure to meet the standard of care caused or contributed to the harm.
Talk to Baltimore Preeclampsia Lawyers Now
Your prenatal records hold the answers. Every blood pressure reading, every lab result, and every provider note tells a story about whether your care met the standard.
Prompt review can help preserve evidence, evaluate deadlines, and determine whether the medical records support a claim.
Furman Honick Law reviews preeclampsia cases at no cost. You owe nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
Call our Baltimore office today at 410-406-7890. If your provider missed the signs, we want to know about it.