Cincinnati Jury Awards $25 Million in Newborn's Wrongful Death Case Against TQL

Published April 9, 2026 · Verdicts & Settlements

A pregnant woman's doctors ordered bed rest and work from home. Her employer said no. Last month, a Hamilton County jury decided that refusal cost her daughter's life, and it awarded $25 million.

As reported by Local 12 (WKRC) and FOX19, the jury found against Total Quality Logistics, LLC (TQL) in a wrongful death suit brought on behalf of the family of Chelsea Walsh. The verdict came in mid-March 2026, and it shows how seriously a jury can value a life that lasted only hours.

What happened, as reported

According to the reports, in February 2021 Ms. Walsh, a TQL employee, underwent a pregnancy-related procedure and was considered high-risk. Her doctors ordered her to limit activity, stay on modified bed rest, and work from home.

FOX19 reported that when she asked to work remotely, TQL declined, told her to return to the office, and eventually placed her on leave. On February 24, 2021, TQL told her she could work from home, after a third party unrelated to the company made the request. Her attorneys said the approval came too late. That same day, Ms. Walsh was hospitalized with complications and gave birth to her daughter, Magnolia, at 20 weeks and six days. Magnolia died several hours later.

The family's lawyers said the jury found that TQL's denial of the work-from-home request led to the baby's death. The jury awarded $25 million and assigned 90 percent of the fault to TQL, resulting in a verdict of $22.5 million against the company. The reports do not say to whom the remaining 10 percent was attributed.

TQL said it disagrees with the verdict and with the way the facts were characterized at trial, and that it is evaluating its legal options. One of the family's attorneys, Brian Butler, told FOX19: "TQL had multiple opportunities to resolve this case for far, far less than the verdict."

We had no involvement in this case. We are writing about it because of what it shows families about wrongful death claims.

A short life still has enormous legal value

Insurance adjusters sometimes treat the death of an infant, a child, or a retiree as a "low-value" claim because there are no lost wages to calculate. Ohio law does not see it that way, and neither did this jury.

Under R.C. 2125.02(A), a wrongful death claim is brought by the personal representative of the person who died, for the benefit of the surviving spouse, children, parents, and other next of kin. The spouse, children, and parents are presumed to have suffered damages. R.C. 2125.02(D) lists what the family can recover, including:

• loss of the society of the person who died, which the statute describes to include companionship, care, assistance, attention, protection, advice, and guidance;
• the mental anguish suffered by the surviving family members;
• loss of support, loss of services, and loss of prospective inheritance, where the evidence supports them;
• reasonable funeral and burial expenses, under R.C. 2125.02(C)(1).

For the parents of a newborn, the core of the claim is the relationship they lost: every year of raising, teaching, and loving a child who should have grown up. A jury that hears that story clearly can return a verdict that reflects it. Our wrongful death page explains who may bring these claims in Ohio and how they are proven.

How fault percentages change the number

This verdict is also a clear example of how Ohio apportions responsibility. Under R.C. 2307.23, when a case goes to a jury, the jury must assign a percentage of fault to the injured party, to each defendant, and to any other person whose conduct contributed, and the percentages must total 100 percent. Here, TQL's 90 percent share turned a $25 million award into a $22.5 million verdict.

When some of the fault is assigned to the injured person, R.C. 2315.33 reduces the recovery by that percentage, and bars it only if the injured person's fault is greater than everyone else's combined. Defendants know this, and they work hard to shift percentages, including onto people who are not even in the courtroom. Every percentage point in a case like this one was worth $250,000. Our guide chapter on what your case is worth explains how comparative fault, damages categories, and other factors shape the value of a claim.

What made this case provable

Reading the reports, a few features stand out that are common to strong wrongful death cases:

• Written medical orders. The doctors' instructions were specific: modified bed rest and work from home. Clear, documented medical advice is powerful evidence of what a defendant knew.
• A documented response. The timeline of the request, the refusal, and the eventual approval mattered. Emails, texts, and HR records often tell that story better than anyone's memory.
• Persistence. The baby died in February 2021, and the verdict came five years later. Serious cases take time, and the defense will test every fact.

If your family is facing something similar, gather and keep every medical record, work note, email, and text. Our chapter on preserving documents and records explains how.

Deadlines are strict

Under R.C. 2125.02(F)(1), a wrongful death action generally must be filed within two years of the death. That is the deadline to file a lawsuit, not to begin an investigation, and records can be lost long before then. Some claims arising from medical care have additional, shorter notice rules. Our guide chapter on deadlines and the timeline of an Ohio injury case explains the calendar.

What this means for you

• The death of a baby or young child supports a substantial wrongful death claim in Ohio, even without lost earnings.
• Employers, medical providers, and others who ignore clear medical orders can be held responsible.
• Fault percentages can move a verdict by millions; the evidence on who did what matters.
• Do not wait. Two years goes quickly, and early investigation preserves the proof.