Don't Give Up on Justice for Emergency Room Victims, Trial Lawyer Writes
If the goal of the 2005 tort "reform" law was to discourage lawyers from helping victims of substandard emergency room care, it has been successful. While I haven't seen definitive data, most plaintiffs lawyers I know are reluctant to take ER cases.
January 19, 2016 at 07:30 PM
5 minute read
If the goal of the 2005 tort “reform” law was to discourage lawyers from helping victims of substandard emergency room care, it has been successful. While I haven't seen definitive data, most plaintiffs lawyers I know are reluctant to take ER cases.
The 2005 law protects ERs by requiring many potential plaintiffs to show “clear and convincing” evidence of “gross negligence,” which the courts have defined as “failure to exercise even a slight degree of care” and “lack of the diligence that even careless men are accustomed to exercise.”
That's a high bar. I've had to turn away grievously injured clients who came to me for help. But I also believe that lawyers may be too quick to dismiss some of these clients. There are circumstances under which ERs can be held accountable.
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