An Ohio jury has awarded $22.5 million to the estate of a newborn after finding that her mother's employer, Total Quality Logistics, denied a critical work-from-home request, which jurors concluded contributed to the baby's death.
The case involved Chelsea Walsh, a claims associate at TQL, who was pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy after undergoing a medical procedure.
According to court documents, Walsh requested to work remotely in mid-February 2021 to follow her doctor's advice, but the company denied her request.
She was told she could either return to the office or take unpaid leave and lose her income and health insurance.
Despite returning to the office on February 22, Walsh's request to work from home remained unresolved.
Only after a third party intervened was she allowed to work remotely—but this approval came mere hours before she went into labor on February 24.
Walsh was admitted to the hospital after experiencing complications and gave birth to her daughter, Magnolia, at nearly 21 weeks of gestation.
According to the lawsuit, Magnolia "had a heartbeat, was breathing, and exhibited fetal movement" immediately after birth, NY Post reported.
She was placed on her mother's chest but tragically died about 90 minutes later.
The wrongful death suit claimed that TQL's denial of remote work against medical advice directly contributed to the loss.
An Ohio company that made a mom return to office during a high-risk pregnancy has been found liable for the newborn's death and ordered to pay $22.5 million in damages.
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) March 20, 2026
Chelsea Walsh made a work-from-home request four days after undergoing an operation on her cervix to prevent…
Ohio Company Liable in Infant Death Case
The jury found TQL liable, initially awarding $25 million in damages and assigning 90% of the fault to the company, resulting in a $22.5 million judgment.
"This is a heartbreaking outcome for a young family," said Matthew C. Metzger of Wolterman Law Office, co-counsel for the Walsh family.
"The evidence showed that Chelsea Walsh was following her doctors' instructions for a high-risk pregnancy and simply asked to work from home. The jury found that TQL's denial of that reasonable request led to the death of her daughter."
Brian Butler of The Butler Trial Firm, also representing the Walsh family, added, "This family, like most plaintiffs, did not want to sit through a trial reliving these events.
But TQL gave them no choice. TQL had multiple opportunities to resolve this case for far, far less than the verdict."
A TQL spokesperson, Julia Daugherty, told People that the company extends condolences to the Walsh family but disagrees with the verdict.
"We extend our condolences to the Walsh family. We disagree with the verdict and the way the facts were characterized at trial. We are evaluating legal options and remain committed to supporting the health and well-being of our employees," she said.
Originally published on vcpost.com
