The WakeMed shoulder nerve damage case has drawn national attention after a Wake County jury awarded $18.2 million to a young boy and his mother in one of the largest medical malpractice verdicts in North Carolina history. The case centers on a birth injury that left a now 6-year-old boy, Naqah Lake, with permanent nerve damage to his shoulder and arm, and it has reignited public conversation about hospital accountability, obstetric safety practices, and how North Carolina law limits payouts in malpractice lawsuits. For readers trying to understand the full story, this article breaks down the background, the trial, the medical details, and what may come next.
Table of Contents
Background: How the Injury Occurred
The events at the heart of the WakeMed shoulder nerve damage case date back to September 17, 2019, when Laurel Browne arrived at WakeMed Raleigh Campus Hospital to give birth to her son. According to court records, the delivery encountered a complication known as shoulder dystocia, which happens when a baby’s shoulder becomes lodged behind the mother’s pelvic bone after the head has emerged. Shoulder dystocia is a recognized obstetric emergency that requires physicians to use specific, well-established maneuvers to safely free the baby without causing injury.
Court documents state that the attending resident physician, identified in the lawsuit as Dr. Tara Brenner, responded to the stuck shoulder by performing a fetal vertex rotation. This maneuver rotates the baby’s head while the shoulder remains trapped, a technique that medical experts testified should never be used during shoulder dystocia because of the serious risk it poses to the infant’s nerves. The plaintiffs’ attorneys described it in court filings and public statements as a “never maneuver,” a term used to describe obstetric techniques that are widely considered unsafe and inappropriate regardless of the circumstances.
As a result of the maneuver, the lawsuit alleges that all five nerves in Naqah’s left brachial plexus were torn from his spinal cord at the moment of delivery. The brachial plexus is the network of nerves that controls movement and sensation in the shoulder, arm, and hand, and an injury of this severity is considered catastrophic. Naqah was not breathing when he was fully delivered and required resuscitation, including chest compressions and intubation. He then spent nine days in the neonatal intensive care unit, during which his left arm remained limp.
The Medical Reality of Brachial Plexus and Shoulder Nerve Injuries
Doctors later diagnosed Naqah with a severe nerve injury, a condition commonly referred to as Erb’s palsy when it affects the upper nerves of the brachial plexus in infants. Because the injury involved all five nerves being completely severed from the spinal cord, rather than simply stretched or partially damaged, his prognosis was especially poor. At around six months old, Naqah underwent surgery in an attempt to repair the damaged nerves and remove scar tissue that had formed around the injury site.
Despite the surgical intervention, Naqah has continued to live with permanent weakness, limited use of his left arm, and visible disfigurement. Attorneys representing the family have said that because of the injury, Naqah will likely never be able to fully use both hands for activities most children take for granted, including playing sports that require two-handed coordination, hugging with both arms, or one day holding his own child. This lifelong impact became a central theme during the trial, as the jury weighed both the economic and human cost of the injury.
It is worth noting that nerve injuries around the shoulder are not unique to childbirth. Shoulder-area nerve damage can also result from trauma such as motor vehicle accidents, athletic injuries, or repetitive stress, and treatment approaches vary widely depending on the cause and severity. However, birth-related brachial plexus injuries like Naqah’s are considered among the most severe because the nerves may be completely avulsed, or torn away, rather than simply strained.
The Trial and Jury Verdict
Naqah and his mother filed their lawsuit in Wake County in 2022, naming WakeMed and several members of its medical staff as defendants. Over the course of the litigation, the list of defendants was narrowed, with the case ultimately proceeding to trial against WakeMed and Dr. Brenner. The trial itself spanned approximately five weeks in state Superior Court in Wake County, during which both sides presented extensive medical testimony about the standard of care expected during shoulder dystocia deliveries.
On July 2, 2026, the 12-person jury reached a unanimous verdict finding that Dr. Brenner had acted negligently and that her negligence directly caused Naqah’s injuries. The jury also found the hospital liable. Notably, the jury determined that while Brenner’s actions constituted negligence, they did not rise to the legal threshold required for gross negligence, a distinction that can affect the scope of certain damages under North Carolina law.
By July 13, the jury had finalized its damages award, granting Naqah $17.7 million and his mother $500,000, for a combined total of $18.2 million. According to reporting on the case, this amount included roughly $2.2 million in documented economic damages, such as medical costs and related expenses, with the remainder reflecting compensation for pain, suffering, disfigurement, and permanent disability. Legal representatives for the family, including attorneys from the law firm Grant & Eisenhofer, described the verdict as one of the largest of its kind nationally and the largest ever recorded in the United States for a case specifically involving a brachial plexus birth injury.
Public Interest and Reaction to the Case
The size of the verdict, combined with the emotional details of a child’s lifelong disability, has made the WakeMed shoulder nerve damage case a widely discussed story across North Carolina and beyond. Legal commentators have pointed out that the case sets a new record for malpractice verdicts in Wake County and ranks among the largest in state history.
WakeMed has responded publicly to the outcome. A spokesperson for the hospital system told local media that WakeMed remains committed to providing a safe environment for patients receiving care and for future generations of healthcare providers who train there. The hospital’s statement also noted that the original lawsuit named additional staff members as defendants, none of whom were ultimately found to have acted negligently by the jury. WakeMed has not issued a detailed statement addressing whether it intends to appeal the verdict, and there is no official confirmation at this time of any planned appeal.
For the family, the verdict represents both validation and a measure of long-term financial security for a child who will require ongoing care. Attorney Lisa Weinstein, who represented Browne and Naqah, said in a public statement that the jury’s decision recognized the full weight of what her client has lost and what he will continue to face throughout his life because of the injury.
What Happens Next: Damage Caps and Legal Process
One of the most important details in the WakeMed shoulder nerve damage case is that the $18.2 million figure awarded by the jury is not necessarily the final amount WakeMed will be required to pay. North Carolina law includes statutory caps on certain types of damages in medical malpractice cases, and local reporting has indicated that the award will likely be reduced substantially once a judge applies these limits. The exact reduced amount has not yet been finalized, and there is no official confirmation of what the post-cap total will ultimately be.
This aspect of the case has drawn attention from legal observers and advocacy groups who argue that damage caps can significantly limit compensation for families dealing with catastrophic, lifelong injuries, regardless of how clearly negligence is established at trial. Others point out that such caps exist to help manage malpractice insurance costs and keep healthcare systems financially stable. Whichever perspective one takes, the practical effect in this case is that the final judgment will likely differ from the jury’s original award, and the matter may not be considered fully resolved until a judge formally enters that judgment and any post-trial motions or appeals are addressed.
Final Thoughts
The WakeMed shoulder nerve damage case highlights the devastating and permanent consequences that can follow from a single decision made during a medical emergency, as well as the legal system’s role in holding hospitals and physicians accountable when care falls below accepted standards. For Naqah Lake and his mother, the jury’s verdict offers acknowledgment of what they have endured, even as the final financial outcome remains subject to North Carolina’s malpractice damage caps. As the case moves through the post-trial process, further updates may clarify the final judgment amount and whether either side pursues additional legal action.
Stay tuned for updates on this developing case, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
