DOJ agrees to $11M settlement after soldier's baby suffers permanent brain injury at Fort Campbell hospital

The U.S. Department of Justice agreed to an $11 million settlement with the family of a Fort Campbell soldier whose daughter suffered a permanent brain injury during delivery at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital on September 11, 2021. The family's lawsuit alleged that medical providers failed to respond to hours of fetal distress. Now four years old, the child lives with severe disabilities, including spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and epilepsy, requiring around-the-clock care. The settlement was reached after an April 2026 trial while awaiting a judge's decision.

Fort Campbell birth injury incident

• ▪A daughter of a Fort Campbell soldier suffered a permanent brain injury during delivery at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital on September 11, 2021.
• ▪The family of a Fort Campbell soldier filed a lawsuit in Nashville federal court alleging medical malpractice during a delivery at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital.

Medical negligence during delivery

• ▪The lawsuit filed by the family of a Fort Campbell soldier alleged that medical providers failed to respond to hours of fetal distress during the child's birth on September 11, 2021.
• ▪The medical malpractice lawsuit went to trial in April 2026, and the U.S. Department of Justice settled the case while the parties were awaiting a judge's decision.

Child's permanent disabilities

• ▪The four-year-old daughter of a Fort Campbell soldier cannot walk or sit without support, receives nutrition through a feeding tube, and requires around-the-clock nursing care.
• ▪The daughter of a Fort Campbell soldier, who is four years old as of September 2026, lives with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and cortical visual impairment.

$11 million DOJ settlement

• ▪Attorney Laurie Higginbotham stated that the settlement is about holding the government accountable and giving the military family the lifelong care and support they will need.
• ▪The U.S. Department of Justice agreed to pay $11 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a Fort Campbell soldier over a birth injury.

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