In February 2025, the trial team at Goldenberg Lauricella embarked on a three-week birth injury trial in St. Croix County, Wisconsin on behalf of August Jennings and his wonderful family. August’s mom, Breauanna, had suffered a traumatic birth that left August near death. The Jennings family hired Goldenberg Lauricella in 2019, and we quickly discovered that August’s injuries were preventable had the midwife responsible for Breauanna’s care contacted the on-call OBGYN when monitors showed August’s heart rate dropping prior to his birth.
After over 5 years of investigation and case workup, Goldenberg Lauricella’s trial team of Noah Lauricella, Stuart Goldenberg, Ethan Adams, and Cyle Hartwig had the privilege of sharing August’s story with a jury in St. Croix County. With the help of nine experts that covered everything from liability and causation to economic damages and a life care plan, we successfully obtained a record-setting $29 million verdict for August and his family.
The Case of August Jennings: A Family’s Search for Justice
August Jennings is an amazing kid. His smile lights up every room he’s in, and he radiates joy wherever he goes. He loves his family, he loves his friends, and he loves to enjoy life. And August’s parents, Breauanna and Anthony, are incredible parents. They love their children unconditionally, and they consider themselves intensely fortunate to care for August.
But life is hard for August Jennings and his family. Hard because August struggles with cerebral palsy so profound that he has to use a specially programmed iPad to communicate. He has to eat through a feeding tube surgically implanted into his stomach. He has to use a device his family affectionately refers to as his “cruiser” just to get around. Every single moment of his life is impacted by his cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy that sadly could have been prevented had he just received the care he needed on the day of his birth. Had he just been delivered when his fetal heart monitor tracings showed he was in danger of suffering a catastrophic injury due to severe oxygen deprivation.
But that didn’t happen. He wasn’t delivered when he should have been. The warning signs on the monitor didn’t cause the midwife in charge of his care to contact the on-call obstetrician. August simply didn’t receive proper care when he needed it most. In fact, August was allowed to struggle for so long in his mother’s womb that he suffocated and nearly died before finally emerging into the world. And so his family reached out to us to seek some semblance of justice on his behalf. And they trusted us to tell his story properly.
Over the course of five years, our firm worked ceaselessly on August’s case. We investigated what happened on September 11, 2018. His birthday. We worked with experts to put together a case that adequately told August’s story and properly advocated on his behalf. A case that looked at each and every moment of that day, plus the days before and after, to determine when things went wrong and what should have been done differently. A case that detailed exactly how the care August received was inadequate and caused the injuries he and his family now take on as part of everyday life.
And we tried that case over three weeks in February 2025. We told the story of August and his family. The incredible story of a family who look hardship and struggle directly in the eye every day and come out stronger because of their love for one another and their belief that August is a blessing. And, at the end of that trial, we were able to obtain a record-setting $29 million verdict for August and his family that should allow them to obtain the support August needs for the rest of his life. Constant in-home nursing support to make things a little easier for all of them and allow him to sleep in his own room. A home catered to his needs to lessen the impact of his cerebral palsy just a bit. A vehicle that he’ll be able to enter and exit with some ease. And a verdict which will hopefully make things safer for other families in the future.
None of that would have been possible without August and his family. Without their trust, their patience, and their belief in the justice system and our firm.
We are incredibly indebted to them for the opportunity to tell their story, and we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to help them achieve some measure of justice. Because that is why we do what we do.
Learn More About The Case of August Jennings
Pioneer Press – In delivery of boy who is ‘pure joy,’ western Wisconsin jury finds midwife negligent
Wisconsin Law Journal – $29M verdict in negligence suit against Wis. midwife
Minnesota Lawyer – Minneapolis firm wins $29M verdict in negligence suit against midwife