Latest Medical Professional Liability Headlines
All the headlines from our Medical Professional Liability Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Medical Device Makers Could Face Increased State Liability Claims
Mar 9 2009 // Following the recent Supreme Court decision that federal rules do not protect drugmakers from state lawsuits, Democrats in Congress have moved to overturn a decision that has shielded medical device companies from similar...
New Jersey Jury Awards $11 Million in Dental Malpractice Case
Mar 9 2009 // A jury in central New Jersey has awarded more than $11 million to the family of a man who died after having his wisdom teeth removed. Francis Keller of Woodbridge had a genetic condition that caused swelling as a reaction...
Bankruptcy Won’t Help West Virginia Doctor Avoid Malpractice Payments
Mar 9 2009 // A former West Virginia doctor will not be able to use his Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in Birmingham to block payments in scores of malpractice cases after a federal bankruptcy judge ruled he was hiding assets. The order...
Hawaii Lawmakers Advance Cap on Medical Malpractice Awards
Mar 6 2009 // A bill to put caps on damages in medical malpractice cases is making its way through the Hawaii Legislature. The measure approved by the House Judiciary Committee is supported by doctors. The committee had rejected similar...
Okla. Bill Broadens Liability Immunity for Volunteer Medical Professionals
Mar 6 2009 // Legislation to make it easier for health care professionals to volunteer their time has been passed by the Oklahoma House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate. House Bill 1481, by state Rep. Sally Kern, would...
Texas Workers’ Comp Div. Issues $169K in Fines in Dec.and Jan.
Mar 5 2009 // Texas Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation Rod Bordelon announced that disciplinary actions taken by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) in December 2008 and January...
Arkansas Court: New Hospital Liability Law Is Retroactive
Feb 17 2009 // Charitable hospitals with self-insurance plans can be sued for incidents that occurred before their pooled liability funds were established, the Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled. The decision comes as a blow to...
Massachusetts Doctors’ Group Wants to Rein in Liability Exposures
Feb 4 2009 // An advocacy group for Massachusetts doctors said it will offer a bill in the state legislature to eliminate the expanded liability of physicians which was created by two recent court decisions. The Massachusetts Medical...
Pennsylvania Hospitals, Docs Sue over Malpractice Fund
Jan 11 2009 // Pennsylvania hospitals and doctors are suing the state to obtain hundreds of millions in unspent dollars they say should be devoted to a state fund that helps doctors pay for medical malpractice insurance. Industry...
Texas Workers’ Comp Div. Assesses $285K in Fines June – Oct. 2008
Jan 9 2009 // The Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) from June through October 2008 assessed administrative penalties totaling $285,775 in disciplinary orders issued by Commissioner of...
Judge Upholds Legality of Transfer from Wisconsin Malpractice Insurance Fund
Dec 22 2008 // Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature legally used $200 million from Wisconsin’s medical malpractice fund to help balance the state budget, a judge has ruled. The decision, if it stands, spares the state from...
Arizona Lawmaker to Offer Medical Malpractice Bill
Dec 16 2008 // An Arizona legislator is renewing a controversial proposal to make it harder to successfully sue emergency medical providers for alleged malpractice. Republican Sen. Carolyn Allen of Scottsdale says raising the burden of...
Medical Liability Insurer Proassurance Buys Houston’s Mid-Continent Agency
Dec 16 2008 // Birmingham ,Ala.-based ProAssurance Corp. said it will acquire Mid-Continent General Agency for an undisclosed price. Mid-Continent is a managing general agent, based in Houston, producing about $25 million a year in...
Pennsylvania Hospitals, Docs Sue over Malpractice Fund
Dec 15 2008 // Pennsylvania hospitals and doctors are suing the state to obtain hundreds of millions in unspent dollars they say should be devoted to a state fund that helps doctors pay for medical malpractice insurance. Industry...
Government Appeals $8.6 Million Judgment in Illinois Malpractice Case
Dec 15 2008 // The U.S. government wants a federal judge in Illinois to trim his $8.6 million judgement over a former Scott Air Force Base doctor’s failure to properly treat a woman’s case of flesh-eating bacteria. Federal...
Medical Malpractice Screening under Scrutiny in New Hampshire
Dec 11 2008 // It’s been three years since New Hampshire started screening medical malpractice cases before trial, but it’s hard to say whether the new system is a success. Doctors and their lawyers say having a special panel...
Obama Laying Groundwork for Overhaul of U.S. Health Insurance
Dec 5 2008 // President-elect Barack Obama has begun laying the groundwork for overhauling the troubled U.S. healthcare system, reaching out to interest groups and building grass-roots support for the huge undertaking. Obama, who takes...
California Announces 20.5 Percent Malpractice Insurance Rate Cut for The Doctors Co.
Nov 26 2008 // Califiornia Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced a 20.5 percent rate cut for medical malpractice insurance offered by The Doctors Co. following its acquisition of SCPIE Holdings Inc. saving $54.3 million...
Thumbs Down on Late Malpractice Suit, West Virigina Court Rules
Nov 25 2008 // The West Virginia Supreme Court says a man who found a piece of scalpel in his thumb can’t press his claim because he waited too long to file his lawsuit. In a 4-1 ruling, the high court said Paul and Melissa Forshey...
Oklahoma Physician Liability Insurer Declares Policyholder Dividends
Nov 21 2008 // Oklahoma City-based Physicians Liability Insurance Company (PLICO), announced it is declaring a dividend for its 2008 policyholders who renew their policies for 2009. The dividend will be either 3 percent or 6 percent of...
