Are Medical Malpractice Jury Awards on the Rise? Some Experts Say Yes

Some experts are weighing in on the large jury awards that have been recently seen in medical malpractice cases. According to Medscape.com, in recent years, and especially in the years following the COVID-19 Pandemic period, jury awards in medical malpractice cases against negligent doctors, healthcare professionals, and hospitals, have sharply risen for a number of potential reasons.

To add some color to the equation, consider two recent medical malpractice cases that landed comparatively high and unprecedented jury awards. In December, 2023, the well-known “Take Care of Maya” case that was featured on online entertainment platforms and garnered national attention raked in a $261 million verdict against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. Just one month earlier, the New York hospital Westchester Medical Center Health was hit with a $120 million liability for medical malpractice against a stroke patient that ended in brain damage. Of the recent not-seen-before high jury awards, Richard Henderson, vice president of TransRe, an international reinsurance company that tracks large jury verdicts in legal cases noted, “2023 blew away every record previously set among high medical malpractice verdicts…If we look at the 50 largest verdicts in 2023 and average them out, we have a higher monetary amount than any other year.”

Indeed, Medscape reports that in the year 2023 alone, there were 57 medical malpractice verdicts in the range of $10 million and higher, and a little more than half of those verdicts actually came to $25 million or more. In contrast, in 2012, there were only 34 total verdicts of $10 million or higher in medical malpractice cases in the United States, and in 2022 there were 52. According to the research conducted by TransRe, while New York, Illinois, and Florida are the states that initially saw the highest number of high-dollar “nuclear” verdicts (those verdicts that are especially high and never-before-seen), states such as Utah and Georgia, where such awards were uncommon, are also now seeing large jury verdicts in medical malpractice lawsuits.

Is there a reason for the recent trend for juries to award especially high verdicts in medical malpractice lawsuits in states throughout the U.S.? The experts say anger at the healthcare industry after the COVID-19 Pandemic, general frustration and anger post-Pandemic, tort reforms throughout the United States, third-party litigation financing, and the view of many Americans that healthcare is just a “big business” all may contribute to why jury awards in medical malpractice cases are now higher than ever before.

Legal Help for Medical Malpractice Victims in New York City

If you or a loved one were injured by a doctor or healthcare professional’s medical malpractice in New York City, do not hesitate to learn about your rights and options to compensation under New York medical malpractice laws. The experienced New York City medical malpractice lawyers at the law firm of Michael Gunzburg, P.C. are here to help victims of medical malpractice in New York City get justice. Do not hesitate to speak with a lawyer today. Contact the experienced New York City medical malpractice lawyers at the law firm of Michael Gunzburg, P.C. and speak to a lawyer about your case now.

Source:

medscape.com/viewarticle/mega-malpractice-verdicts-against-physicians-rise-2024a10002bz