Sutter Roseville Medical Center Birth Injury Lawyers

This page is for parents and caregivers whose baby was born at Sutter Roseville Medical Center, at 1 Medical Plaza Drive in Roseville, Placer County, California, and who now have questions about how the delivery went or about their child's health. Maybe your baby needed time in the neonatal intensive care unit. Maybe your child is missing milestones, or a doctor has used words like cerebral palsy, brain injury or nerve injury. Wanting answers is a normal and reasonable response.

Sutter Roseville Medical Center is a nonprofit hospital that is part of Sutter Health. According to the hospital's 2024 report to the state (HCAI), it cared for 2,360 newborns in its newborn nursery that year and has 16 licensed intensive-care newborn beds, with 319 NICU discharges in 2024. Most births there end with a healthy mother and baby. This page does not say anything about how any particular delivery was handled. It explains, in plain words, what birth injuries are, how families can find out more, and what options exist.

Beverly Law wrote this guide so that families can understand the process before they decide anything. Nothing here is legal advice about your own situation, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you want to talk, a conversation with our team costs nothing, and you can use this page first to prepare your questions.

Labor and delivery at Sutter Roseville Medical Center

The hospital's own Birth Center page describes private rooms for labor and delivery, a triage area where staff check a mother's vital signs and monitor the baby's heartbeat when she arrives, and a Birth Center that is open 24 hours a day. The Birth Center is on the lower level of the hospital at 1 Medical Plaza Drive in Roseville. The hospital's main number is 916-781-1000.

The same page says the hospital has a Level III neonatal intensive care unit that offers around-the-clock care for babies who need extra support, such as monitoring, breathing support or specialized treatment. The state's California Children's Services (CCS) page also lists the hospital as having a community neonatal intensive care unit. According to the hospital's 2024 report to the state (HCAI), the hospital has 16 licensed intensive-care newborn beds and had 319 NICU discharges in 2024.

Sutter Roseville Medical Center is a private nonprofit hospital and part of Sutter Health. It serves Roseville and the surrounding Placer County communities. According to the hospital's 2024 report to the state (HCAI), 2,360 newborns were cared for in its newborn nursery that year. Those numbers show a large maternity program that families in the area rely on, and they are the only hospital numbers this page uses.

Birth injuries families ask about after a difficult delivery

Families often hear several different terms after a hard birth. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a type of newborn brain injury linked to reduced oxygen or blood flow to the brain around the time of birth. Babies with signs of HIE are often cared for in a NICU, and some may receive therapeutic cooling, a treatment that doctors use for certain newborns. Outcomes range from full recovery to lasting disability, depending on severity.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect movement, balance and posture. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls it the most common motor disability in childhood. It is caused by abnormal development of, or damage to, the developing brain. The CDC explains that most cases are congenital, meaning the brain problem happened before or during birth, that often no specific cause is found, and that lack of oxygen during birth accounts for only a small number of cases. CP does not get worse over time, but it is lifelong, and early therapy matters.

Other conditions families ask about include Erb's palsy and other brachial plexus injuries, which affect the nerves that control the shoulder, arm and hand and can happen when a baby's shoulder is stretched during delivery; bleeding in the newborn's brain, which can be seen on imaging; fractures of the collarbone or skull; and infections such as group B strep (GBS) in a newborn. Mothers can also be injured, for example by heavy bleeding after delivery (postpartum hemorrhage) or tears. Many of these conditions happen even when everyone does everything right, and some do not. A medical review of the records is how a family learns which it was, and this page does not suggest that anything of the kind happened at this hospital.

Warning signs of a birth injury in the first days, weeks and months

In the first days, signs that a baby may have had a difficult start include trouble breathing or needing breathing support, weak or absent crying, a floppy or very stiff body, seizures, poor feeding or trouble sucking and swallowing, an unusually low body temperature or blood sugar, and a need for care in the NICU. An arm that stays still or hangs limp at the baby's side may point to a nerve injury. Swelling, bruising or a lump on the head or collarbone should always be mentioned to the pediatrician.

In the first weeks and months, parents may notice that a baby is very irritable or unusually sleepy, startles very little, does not follow faces or sounds, feeds poorly, or has repeated spells that look like seizures. The CDC lists signs of cerebral palsy in babies under six months such as the head lagging when the baby is picked up, a body that feels stiff or floppy, an arched back and neck, and legs that stiffen or cross like scissors when lifted.

After six months, the CDC notes warning signs such as not rolling over in either direction, not bringing the hands together or to the mouth, or reaching with one hand while keeping the other fisted. After ten months, crawling in a lopsided way is another sign. Some children without CP show these signs too, so they are a reason to ask for a developmental screening, not proof of a diagnosis. Trust your instincts: if something seems wrong, ask your child's doctor and keep a written note of dates and what you see.

Who may be responsible in a birth-injury claim

In a birth-injury case, a family and its lawyers look at everyone who took part in the care before, during and after the delivery. That may include the obstetrician, a midwife, the anesthesia team, nurses and other hospital staff, the neonatal and pediatric doctors, and the hospital or medical group that employs or contracts with them. Whether any of them may be responsible depends on the facts, and many births involve no wrongdoing at all.

An important question is who employed each person. Some doctors are employees of a hospital or a medical group. Others are independent physicians with their own practices who have privileges to treat patients at the hospital. A family may have a claim against a doctor who did not work for the hospital, and the legal analysis can be different for each person. A lawyer reviewing your case will sort this out; you do not have to figure out the right defendants before you call.

Because different parties can have different insurance and different rules, including special rules for some public hospitals and for Kaiser members, it helps to know early which hospital and which doctors were involved. Sutter Roseville Medical Center is a private nonprofit hospital, not a county or University of California hospital. Your delivery paperwork, discharge papers and bills can show who treated you and your baby.

How an independent expert review of the delivery works

Before a medical negligence claim goes forward, the medical records are normally reviewed by independent physicians who are experts in the same field, such as obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology or pediatric neurology. They are not employed by us, and their job is to answer a medical question: did the care meet the accepted standard, and did it cause the injury? Sometimes the answer is no, and families deserve to hear that honestly too.

The records experts usually study include the fetal heart monitoring strips, which show the baby's heart rate and the mother's contractions during labor; the nursing and physician notes from labor and delivery; the Apgar scores, which are quick checks of a baby's condition at one and five minutes; the umbilical cord blood gas results, which show the baby's acid-base balance at birth; brain imaging such as MRI and head ultrasound; EEG tests; and the NICU notes and treatment records.

Reviewing these records takes time because the monitoring strips must be read alongside the clock times in the chart, and the baby's later imaging has to be compared with what happened in labor. Experts also look at whether a different step would have changed the outcome. The review gives the family a clearer picture so they can decide whether to go further. It is not a commitment to file anything.

What to do now: step by step for families

First, take care of your child's health. Keep all appointments with your pediatrician and specialists, and follow the treatment plan. Write down diagnoses, medicines, names of clinics and dates. If your child is under three and has delays, ask for an Early Start evaluation right away; you do not need a diagnosis to ask.

Second, request the records for both mother and baby, and keep copies of bills, discharge papers, test results and photos. Do not post details about your child's care on social media, and be careful about signing papers from insurers or anyone else before you understand them. Write down your own memory of the labor and delivery while it is fresh, including who was in the room and what you were told.

Third, do not wait to talk to a lawyer. California has strict deadlines for birth-injury claims, shorter deadlines can apply to parents' own claims and to public hospitals, and a written notice must be sent before a lawsuit is filed against a doctor or hospital. These timing rules are explained in the legal sections below. A short call lets you learn which rules apply to you, and it costs nothing to talk with Beverly Law.

Support while a case is being reviewed: therapy, regional center and Medi-Cal

Your child does not have to wait for a legal case to begin getting help. Physical, occupational and speech therapy are often most helpful when they start early, and your pediatrician can refer you. For children under three, California's Early Start program serves infants and toddlers who have developmental delays or are at risk of a developmental disability. Alta California Regional Center is the regional center that serves Placer County.

Children with certain serious conditions may qualify for California Children's Services (CCS), a state program, and many families use Medi-Cal for medical care. A county social worker, your child's doctor or a family resource center can explain which programs your family may qualify for. Eligibility depends on your child's diagnosis and your family's situation, and we cannot promise any particular benefit.

Many families also find it helpful to connect with other parents of children with similar needs. Family resource centers can put you in touch. Whatever you decide about a legal claim, getting your child evaluated and supported now is the most important thing you can do.

Deadlines for a birth-injury case in California

California gives a child’s birth-injury case its own deadline. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 340.5, a minor must sue within three years of the wrongful act, but a child who was under six when it happened has until his or her eighth birthday if that is longer. For a baby hurt during labor or delivery, that usually means the eighth birthday. The clock runs from the act itself, not from the day the family learned what went wrong, and it is paused only in narrow cases of fraud or collusion. Parents’ own claims, and claims against a public hospital, can have much shorter deadlines, so it is safer to get advice early.

Before a medical malpractice lawsuit can be filed in California, the doctor or hospital must get written warning. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 364, the health care provider must receive at least 90 days’ notice of the intention to sue. No special form is required, but the notice must state the legal basis of the claim, the type of loss and the specific injuries suffered. Under § 364(d), if the notice is served within the last 90 days of the filing deadline, the deadline is extended 90 days from the date of service. The notice is a required step, and it is often the moment a case moves from questions to formal action.

What MICRA caps — and what it does not

California’s MICRA law limits one part of a medical malpractice recovery. Under Civil Code § 3333.2, as amended by AB 35, non-economic damages (pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life) are capped. In 2026 the cap is $470,000 for injury and $650,000 for wrongful death, and it rises every January 1 ($40,000 and $50,000 a year until 2033, then 2% a year). Separate caps can apply to doctors, hospitals and unaffiliated providers. Economic damages are not capped: lifetime medical care, therapy, equipment, home modifications and lost earning capacity can be recovered in full, and in a birth-injury case they are usually the largest part of the claim.

How to get the delivery records from Sutter Roseville Medical Center

California law gives families a right to these records. Under Health and Safety Code § 123110, a patient or the patient’s personal representative — for a baby, a parent or guardian (§ 123105) — may inspect the records within five working days of a written request and is entitled to a paper or electronic copy, which the provider must send within 15 days after receiving a request that says which records are wanted. For a birth-injury review, ask for both charts: the mother’s labor and delivery record, including the fetal heart rate monitoring strips, and the baby’s newborn and NICU record.

To get the delivery records for you and your baby from Sutter Roseville Medical Center, use Sutter Health's medical records request process. Sutter's records page says you can fill out its online Medical Record Request form (have a photo ID ready to upload), or download the Medical Records Authorization form, which is available in English and Spanish, and send it by fax to 916-736-5499 or by mail to the Sutter Health System Office, PO Box 619091, Roseville, CA 95661. A separate authorization form is needed for radiology images. If you ask for a child's records as a parent or guardian, you may be asked to show proof of your authority. Sutter says to allow up to 15 calendar days and that you will be told in advance if fees apply. Ask specifically for the labor and delivery chart, the fetal monitoring strips, the newborn and NICU records and the cord blood gas results, for both mother and baby. For questions, the hospital's records page lists 800-4SUTTER.

The hospital’s medical records page →

Where a case from Roseville would be filed

A civil birth-injury lawsuit from a delivery in Roseville would usually be filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Placer. The court's website lists the Hon. Howard G. Gibson Courthouse, also known as the Bill Santucci Justice Center, at 10820 Justice Center Drive, Roseville, CA 95678, phone (916) 408-6000, with Departments 30 through 44 and the Clerk's Office. The court handles all civil cases, and its Civil Division can be reached at (916) 408-6000, option 5. Where a particular case is filed depends on the defendants and on the court's rules at the time, so a lawyer will confirm the right courthouse before anything is filed.

Superior Court of California, County of Placer (Hon. Howard G. Gibson Courthouse) → — 10820 Justice Center Drive, Roseville, CA 95678

Help for your child now: Early Start in Placer County

Early Start is California's early intervention program for babies and toddlers from birth to age three who have developmental delays or are at risk of a developmental disability. Alta California Regional Center serves Placer County, including Roseville. The state's Department of Developmental Services lists Alta's Early Start intake line at (916) 978-6249, and you can also call the statewide Early Start BabyLine at 800-515-2229 or email earlystart@dds.ca.gov. You do not need a doctor's referral or a diagnosis to ask for an evaluation. Tell them your baby's age and what worries you, and ask for an evaluation in writing if you can.

Alta California Regional Center →

Key facts

Questions parents ask

Other Placer County hospitals we cover

Kaiser Permanente Medical Center

Related pages

Cerebral Palsy · Erb’s Palsy / Brachial Plexus Injury · HIE / Oxygen Deprivation at Birth · Statute of Limitations · MICRA Damages Cap · All California hospitals · California birth injury lawyers · Birth injury guides

Beverly Law is an independent law firm. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or speaking for Sutter Roseville Medical Center or Sutter Health. Hospital facts on this page come from the public sources listed above.

Important: This page is general information about birth injuries and California law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Beverly Law. Every case is different — talk to a lawyer about your own situation. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. No fees or costs unless we win. Last reviewed: 2026-09-18.