Attorney Christina Sonsire of the Ziff Law Firm, who represented the family of a 7-year-old Otsego County girl who received a $2.1 million medical malpractice jury verdict in a 2013 Erb’s palsy case, will address members of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers next month, presenting “Preclusion of Junk Science in Erb’s Palsy Cases: Muhammad, Brandenburg, Nobre and Sutryk.”

There will be four presentations on March 4th and 5th across Upstate New York.

Christina, who gained national attention following the verdict, will be joined by Attorney Joseph Lichtenstein, of Mineola, NY, who was hired to represent the family of the girl who suffered the birth injury at a Cooperstown hospital. Joseph brought in Christina to try the case and said in 2013, “She was able to present this highly complex case in a way the jury could fully understand. She is truly remarkable.”

To read more about the verdict, go here.

Christina and Joseph will discuss the significance of four Erb’s Palsy cases, including Christina’s $2.1 million verdict, and offer suggestions on how other trial lawyers can represent their clients in similar cases.

During the 2013 trial, Christina effectively precluded defendants from arguing the girl’s injury was caused by the laboring mother’s own contractions, a defense often referred to as the “natural forces of labor.” The verdict received attention because lawyers across the country have been arguing the “natural forces of labor” defense lacks scientific foundation for the past 20 years.

The schedule:

• March 4:
  Albany: Noon to 2 p.m., Taste Restaurant, 45 Beaver St.
  Syracuse: 6 to 8 p.m., Syracuse University College of Law, Room 100.
• March 5:
  Rochester: Noon to 2 p.m., Monroe County Bar Association, 1 West Main St., fifth floor.
  Buffalo: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., University at Buffalo Law School, Room 104.

The sessions are free for Academy members and $100 for nonmembers. To register, go to www.trialacademy.org or call (518) 364-4044.

Thanks for reading!

Jim
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