Medical Malpractice Law

Medical malpractice cases are characterized by injuries that result from a medical professional's negligence. There are numerous laws that govern the cases, such as specific statutes of limitations and damages.

Malpractice occurs when a patient is not treated with the same level of care as other doctors would be in similar situations. The most common form of malpractice is misdiagnosis and surgical errors.

Complaint

Medical malpractice is a specific area of tort law that is a part of the law that deals with professional negligence. It is defined as an act or omission of an individual doctor that is contrary to the accepted norms of the medical community and causes injuries to a patient [2223.

The lawsuit process begins when you file a civil court complaint if you have been injured by negligence in a hospital. In this form, you write down the essential facts of your case. You should also mention the hospital where you worked and any doctors involved with your case. Depending on the circumstances, you may decide to make an agreement in advance that any health professionals will not be named individually in the lawsuit (this is known as "no-name agreements").

Then you list the injuries and the dollar amount associated with each. These include future and past medical expenses, income loss due to not being able to work or travel, pain and suffering, and any other losses you've suffered as a result of the doctor's wrongful actions. It is imperative to give these documents to your lawyers promptly to allow them to begin an extensive review.

Summons

If you think you've suffered injuries due to medical negligence, your lawyer drafts the summons and complaint and has them filed with the court. The clerk of the court assigns a unique number to the case. This number is known as an index number, and it will be used to follow the case through the courts.

The plaintiff's lawyer will spend much time, money and effort to win an action. These resources are needed to finance legal discovery and to procure expert physician witnesses. Even in the event that the medical malpractice lawsuit is unsuccessful it will cost the attorney a huge deal of time and work product.

A lawsuit must demonstrate that the health care professional breached a legal obligation, this breach caused injury to the patient and the damage is severe enough to warrant legal action. In the United States, a patient must be able to prove four elements or requirements to be able to bring a legitimate medical malpractice claim. These include the existence of a duty; a breach of that duty; causation; and damages. Medical malpractice claims are subject to state law. However, in certain limited circumstances, the matter can be transferred to federal district court.

Discovery

When a complaint as well as civil summons is filed in the appropriate court, the formal discovery process starts. Your medical malpractice lawyer will be spending many hours gathering evidence to support the case. This can include reviewing medical records with the help of a medical review firm.

This is a crucial phase of the legal process because it can help your lawyer discover crucial information that aids your claim. However, it is also one of the longest-running aspects of a medical malpractice lawsuit.

In the pre-trial discovery phase your attorney will seek certain documents and interrogatories of the defendants in your case. The defendants then have the opportunity to respond to these requests. The questions are put under the oath, and must be answered truthfully. The defendants can also use these questions to raise defenses in your case. It is essential to employ a Medical Malpractice Law Firm malpractice lawyer who has years of experience. They can ensure that all evidence is presented in an easy to comprehend manner for juries and judges.

Request for Admission

Before a medical malpractice lawsuit can be filed, many states require that the injured patient present the case before a panel of medical experts who will listen to arguments and scrutinize evidence and expert testimony to determine whether the claim is substantiated enough to go forward. The law also requires that medical malpractice lawsuits be filed in court within a certain time period, known as the statute of limitations.

To allow the legal counsel of a patient to pursue a medical malpractice claim, it must be proven that the health professional did not adhere to the accepted standard of care in his or her particular field. This is also referred to as the standard medical care measurement. It is crucial that the legal team representing the injured party be capable of identifying specific instances of deviations from this standard.

Trial

To prove malpractice, a patient needs to show that: (1) the doctor had a professional obligation of care; (2) the physician did not fulfill this duty, by breaking the standard of care; (3) this breach caused injury; and (4) the injury resulted in damages. This requirement requires expert testimony by a medical professional to help the jury comprehend the applicable medical standards. It is often challenging for an injured patient and her legal team to bridge the gap between the common knowledge and experience of the ordinary juror and the trained and expert knowledge needed to determine if there is a case of malpractice.

Malpractice claims can be filed with the state trial court that has jurisdiction over the case. However, in some circumstances, they may also be filed at federal district courts. Both trial courts are subject to the same laws as other civil litigants. In depositions of defendant doctors, the attorneys from both sides will ask questions. After direct examination an attorney for the opposing side can cross-examine the physician who testified. This process continues until questions of both sides are exhausted.