One of my favorite expressions tells us, “It doesn’t have to be bad to be stressful.” Think wedding, communion, bar mitzvah or any other event commemorating something special. Ultimately, the “big day” is concluded, and the stress dissipates. A deep sigh of relief replaces the butterflies, and normalcy and routine return.

The opposite side of the coin: it is not something good or fun and it is incredibly stressful, sums up what the respective litigants in a medical malpractice lawsuit are experiencing. The patient, now known as “the plaintiff,” has been injured and has sustained damages by virtue of something done by a doctor, a hospital, a nurse, another medical professional, or a long-term health care facility. The medical provider, currently “the defendant,” did their utmost to provide good and acceptable medical care and, by virtue of the lawsuit, now faces financial and professional repercussions. (The majority of medical malpractices cases involve payment by an insurance carrier, although in rare cases the doctor is uninsured. Verdicts may surpass the totality of the insurance premiums).