Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Jesse M. Reiter
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2008 Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
Jesse Reiter is the owner, founder, and managing partner of ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers (Reiter & Walsh, P.C.). He has been practicing law since 1987, and is recognized as a leader in the field of birth trauma litigation. Reiter has won multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for children with birth injuries such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy (CP). Passion for justice, meticulous attention to detail, and exhaustive preparation are the keys to his success. Helping children and their families brings him the greatest satisfaction.
Reiter began his legal career with a major law firm in Detroit. After years of honing his medical malpractice expertise, he formed ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers in 1997. The firm has grown considerably since that time, and now fights for birth-injured children throughout the country.
At ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers, Reiter has built a reputation around his extensive knowledge in both law and medicine. His in-depth understanding of complications during pregnancy, delivery, and the neonatal period, as well as of the standard of care medical professionals are obligated to provide, makes him a strong advocate for clients. Reiter has served a variety of important leadership positions in legal groups, such as president of the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) and chair of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group (BTLG). He has also won numerous awards for his representation of children who need constant care. His clients continually receive compassion, empathy, knowledge, and experience throughout their difficult cases.
Recognized as among the top in his field, he is an executive board member and past Chair of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group, a group of leading birth injury attorneys from around the world that represent birth injured children and their families. He was also Co-Editor of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group Newsletter from 2009-2011. Reiter is a fellow of both the American Bar Foundation and the American Association for Justice’s National College of Advocacy. In 2015, Reiter was elected to the AAJ Board of Governors. His work with the AAJ’s Professional Negligence Section includes past Chair, Newsletter Editor and Secretary. He is also a peer reviewer for Trial, the AAJ's magazine for legal professionals. For the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ), Reiter serves or has served as a President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Executive Board Member. He has also served on the MAJ’s Judicial Qualifications Committee, Constitutional Challenge Committee, and Coalition/Community Action Committee. Reiter maintains active roles in a number of other professional group and associations as well.
Reiter has also been recognized by numerous associations and publications. He was named by Michigan Lawyer's Weekly as a 2012 “Leader in the Law” and “Lawyer of the Year” in 2006; listed in The Best Lawyers in America (since 2008); AV-Preeminent Rated through Martindale Hubbell; Avvo Superb Rated Attorney (10 out of 10); listed in Crain's “Best Lawyers in Metro Detroit”; named a DBusiness Magazine “Top Lawyer;” recognized as one of Metro Detroit's “Top Ten Personal Injury Lawyers;” and recognized for several consecutive years in Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine. Reiter has also appeared in Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who, and Who's Who Among Rising Young Americans. He is also a member of the Ohio Association for Justice, the Academy of Trial Advocacy and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Jesse's firm, Reiter & Walsh ABC Law Centers, has been listed in the “Best Law Firms in America” by U.S. News & World Report every year since 2010.
Some of Mr. Reiter’s recent verdicts and settlements include: $6.2 million for a child injured during a vacuum delivery; $2.475 million for a young child injured during labor and delivery; $4.425 million awarded to a child that was harmed by doctor’s negligence during labor and delivery; 1.875 million for birth injuries sustained to a child as a result of doctor’s negligence; $3.5 million obtained for child client who was injured at birth due to negligence; $5.9 million for a child with cerebral palsy and kernicterus; $4.75 million for a child with cerebral palsy, cognitive impairments and delays caused by birth asphyxia; $3.9 million settlement for a child with cerebral palsy; $3.75 million for a child with cerebral palsy, cognitive impairments, developmental delays from birth asphyxia and delayed delivery; $3.6 million for a child with cerebral palsy and developmental delays; and $2.05 million for one twin with developmental delays.
Overview
- English
- DePaul University, graduated 1987
- Michigan, State Bar of Michigan
- Ohio, Ohio State Bar Association
- District of Columbia, The District of Columbia Bar
- AAJ Exchange Advisory Committee - Member
- American Association for Justice - Section & Litigation Group Coordination Committee
- American Association for Justice (AAJ) - Governor; Board of Governors
- American Association for Justice, Professional Negligence Section - Chair
- American Association for Justice, Professional Negligence Section - Secretary
- American Association for Justice, Professional Negligence Section Newsletter - Editor
- American Association for Justice, Trial Magazine - Peer Reviewer (2016-present)
- American Association for Justice’s National College of Advocacy - Fellow
- American Bar Foundation - Lifetime Fellow
- Birth Trauma Litigation Group - Chair (2010-2013)
- Birth Trauma Litigation Group - Executive Board
- Birth Trauma Litigation Group Newsletter - Co-editor (2006-2011)
- Michigan Association for Justice - President (2006-07)
- Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) - Constitutional Challenge Committee
- Michigan Association for Justice’s Judicial Qualifications Committee - Co-chair (2008-present)
- Michigan Association for Justice’s Judicial Qualifications Committee - Member (2004-present)
- Michigan Bar Foundation - Fellow
- Michigan State Bar Association - Lifetime Member of the Fellows
- Oakland County Bar Association - Member
- Pound Civil Justice Institute - Fellow
- Public Justice Foundation - Member
- Michigan Association for Justice - President (2005-06)
- Michigan Association for Justice - Vice-President (2004-05)
- Michigan Association for Justice - Secretary (2003-04)
- Michigan Association for Justice - Treasurer (2003-03)
- Michigan Association for Justice - Executive Board (1995-Present)
- Michigan Bar Association - Member
- Wayne and Oakland Counties - Mediator
- American Association for Justice - Executive Board, Birth Trauma Litigation Group
- American Bar Association - Member
- District of Columbia Bar Association - Member
- D.C. Trial Lawyers Association - Member
- English
- Michigan, State Bar of Michigan
- Ohio, Ohio State Bar Association
- District of Columbia, The District of Columbia Bar
- AAJ Exchange Advisory Committee - Member
- American Association for Justice - Section & Litigation Group Coordination Committee
- American Association for Justice (AAJ) - Governor; Board of Governors
- American Association for Justice, Professional Negligence Section - Chair
- American Association for Justice, Professional Negligence Section - Secretary
- American Association for Justice, Professional Negligence Section Newsletter - Editor
- American Association for Justice, Trial Magazine - Peer Reviewer (2016-present)
- American Association for Justice’s National College of Advocacy - Fellow
- American Bar Foundation - Lifetime Fellow
- Birth Trauma Litigation Group - Chair (2010-2013)
- Birth Trauma Litigation Group - Executive Board
- Birth Trauma Litigation Group Newsletter - Co-editor (2006-2011)
- Michigan Association for Justice - President (2006-07)
- Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) - Constitutional Challenge Committee
- Michigan Association for Justice’s Judicial Qualifications Committee - Co-chair (2008-present)
- Michigan Association for Justice’s Judicial Qualifications Committee - Member (2004-present)
- Michigan Bar Foundation - Fellow
- Michigan State Bar Association - Lifetime Member of the Fellows
- Oakland County Bar Association - Member
- Pound Civil Justice Institute - Fellow
- Public Justice Foundation - Member
- Michigan Association for Justice - President (2005-06)
- Michigan Association for Justice - Vice-President (2004-05)
- Michigan Association for Justice - Secretary (2003-04)
- Michigan Association for Justice - Treasurer (2003-03)
- Michigan Association for Justice - Executive Board (1995-Present)
- Michigan Bar Association - Member
- Wayne and Oakland Counties - Mediator
- American Association for Justice - Executive Board, Birth Trauma Litigation Group
- American Bar Association - Member
- District of Columbia Bar Association - Member
- D.C. Trial Lawyers Association - Member
- DePaul University, graduated 1987
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
- Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, Troy (2022)
- Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Troy (2019)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
- Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Additional Areas of Practice:
- Medical Malpractice Law
Special Focus:
- Birth Trauma
Awards:
Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, DBusiness, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
- Strathmore's Who's Who
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Marquis's Who's Who in American Law, 9th Ed.
- Citation's Who's Who Among Rising Young Americans
- Lawyer of the Year, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2006
- Leaders in the Law, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2012
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating: AV Preeminent (5.0/5.0)
- Avvo Superb Rated Attorney (10/10)
- Crain's Best Lawyers in Metro Detroit
- Metro Detroit's “Top Ten Personal Injury Lawyers"
- Respected Advocate Award, Michigan Defense Trial Counsel (MDTC)
- Top Ten Personal Injury Attorneys, National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys
- Who's Who in American Law, DBusiness
- Top 100: Michigan Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers, 2013-Present
- Top 50: Michigan Consumer Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers, 2013 - Present
- Top 10: Michigan Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers, 2013
Top 5: Consumer Michigan Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers, 2013
- Top Verdicts and Settlements, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2005 - Present, 2000 & 2002
- Michigan Leading Lawyers, LeadingLawyers.com, Michigan Bar Journal, 2016
- Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers, 2011, 2015-2016
- Dan Cullan Memorial Award, AAJ Birth Trauma Litigation Group
- "Top Rated Lawyer in Medical Malpractice," The American Lawyer and Martindale-Hubbell, 2017
- Member Spotlight, OAJ Ohio Trial
- Best Lawyers in America, U.S. News and World Report, 2008-2018
News & Media
Additional Information
Case History
Cases
- $6.2 million for a child injured during a vacuum delivery
Plaintiff went to the hospital while in labor. An experienced nurse handled the birth. The mother was dilated to 9.5 cm for two hours. Although the mother was not fully dilated, the baby was delivered. However, near the time of delivery the child suffered a stroke, resulting in mild hemiparesis (paralysis on one side of the body) and cerebral palsy. The plaintiff claimed that the stroke was the result of pushing before complete dilation and the use of a vacuum and that a C-section would have prevented injury. The child will require future surgeries and may have a learning disability.
- $3.9 million settlement for a child with cerebral palsy
The plaintiff, pregnant for the first time, treated prenatally at a clinic. She went to the hospital in labor. The fetal heart monitor, on admission, showed the baby was doing fine. Shortly after admission, the doctor, a member of Plaintiff’s prenatal care clinic, recognized the baby was in a position to deliver face first. This type of delivery requires additional monitoring and C-section is often recommended (but was not even mentioned in this case.) The fetal monitor used at this hospital was known to confuse the mom’s heartbeat with the baby’s. The manufacturer recommended use of a pulse oximeter to easily overcome this deficiency. This involves placing a little clip on the mom’s finger – an easy and painless act. This was not done in the Plaintiff’s case. The nursing staff claimed they had never been trained to use the pulse oximeter. When she was delivered, this baby girl had significant facial bruising because she was delivered face first. She also was born depressed due to inadequate oxygen supply during delivery. She was diagnosed with mild to moderated hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. The child suffers from motor delays due to mild cerebral palsy and a has a low average IQ.
- $3.75 million for child with cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and developmental delays from lack of oxygen and delayed C-section
Throughout her pregnancy, a woman missed several of her appointments with the doctor. Late in her pregnancy, she complained that the baby wasn’t moving as much. Testing on the day of delivery showed that the baby wasn’t moving as much, but everything else seemed normal. Doctors administered Cytotec (also known as misoprostol or prostaglandin E1) to ripen the mother's cervix and induce labor. The drug's approved use is for the treatment of ulcers but is commonly used by hospitals for labor induction, despite recent safety warnings from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology against this particular use of the drug in certain patients. Neither the mother nor the baby responded well to the amount of drug administered and the baby was having problems with her heart rate. The baby suffered loss of oxygen during labor (birth asphyxia) and had seizures and a brain bleed after birth. Now ten years old, she is mentally retarded, developmentally delayed, and has been diagnosed with cerebra; palsy. Plaintiff attorneys asserted that too much Cytotec was administered and because the baby was having problems during labor, doctors should have performed a C-section earlier in the day. Defendant-attorneys’ position was that the minor’s brain damage and developmental delays are genetic or caused by events before her birth. This case was turned down by another firm before Reiter & Walsh.
- $5.9 million for a child with cerebral palsy and kernicterus
Jaundice occurs frequently in newborns as the liver works to clear excess bilirubin from the body. Usually the jaundice is mild, but if left untreated it can become severe and cause brain damage. In this case, shortly after birth, the baby developed elevated bilirubin levels and hyperbilirubinemia. The hyperbilirubinemia was not promptly treated and resulted in the baby suffering from kernicterus – a form of brain damage. Due to the brain damage, the child had cerebral palsy and needs a wheelchair and special accommodations for the rest of his life.
- $4.75 million for a child with cerebral palsy, mental retardation and delays from birth asphyxia
A young mother treated prenatally with a family practice physician. Neither she nor her husband spoke English. Prenatal care was uneventful. Her prenatal doctor sent her to a hospital for an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed a 17 day discrepancy between her last menstrual period and the size measurements of the ultrasound. Three and ½ months later, she was having spotting and contractions. She went to the hospital again. No translator was brought in. Her initial blood pressure was elevated though not considered abnormal. She was placed on a fetal monitor. Lab studies and urinalysis for protein were not performed. The earlier ultrasound suggested that she was past her due date. She was discharged from the hospital. A few days later she again presented at the hospital at the direction of her prenatal care doctor. Her complaint in triage was "bleeding x 4 days." An emergency C-section was performed for non-reassuring fetal heart tones. The baby, however, suffered from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Hypothermia head cooling treatment was not successful. The baby was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit and spent seven weeks in the hospital. He was later diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and speech and language delays.
- $3.85 million for child with cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities
The case involved a series of mistakes made by physicians and hospital staff which resulted in a baby being born with brain damage. The child has been diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and profound developmental delays. He cannot walk or talk and requires feeding by tube. Reiter & Walsh asserted in this very difficult case that the mother’s sickle cell disease, brain abscess requiring cranial surgery during pregnancy, seizures, and multiple hospitalizations during pregnancy placed her in a high-risk category. Despite being high-risk, staff and doctors managing her care did not communicate or follow-up on abnormal test results. One such result revealed that the baby was not growing proportionally to gestational age. This finding required early delivery of the baby, between 34 and 37 weeks gestation. Instead, the pregnancy was allowed to continue and the mother experienced a sickle cell crisis at 37 weeks. During this time the baby’s fetal heart tracings were non-reassuring and an emergency C-section was ordered but delayed. This deprived the baby of oxygen resulting in brain damage.
- $3.8 million for a child who has cerebral palsy from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
$3.8 million for a child who has CP from HIE because physicians failed to respond to intraunterine growth restriction, oxygen deprivation, and fetal distress
- $5.0 million for a child with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL)
$5.0 million for a child with mental and physical deficits due to undiagnosed cystic PVL
- $4.5 million for a child alleged to have a birth injury
$4.5 million awarded to child alleged to have been injured during labor and delivery
- $2.475 million for a child with a birth injury
$2.475 million settlement for a young child injured during labor and delivery
- $4.425 million settlemtn for a child with a birth injury
$4.425 million awarded to a child that was harmed by doctor’s negligence during labor and delivery
- $1.875 million settlement for a child with lifelong problems caused by birth injuries
$1.875 million for birth injuries sustained to child as a result of doctor’s negligence
- $4.35 Million ($11m total) – Brain damage, hypotonic non-spastic cerebral palsy, developmental delays and cognitive deficits from excessive and improper ventilation during the neonatal period
Cerebral Palsy Case
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