Profession
Miss. court rules that some medical liability reforms are constitutional
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 6, 2006
Mississippi doctors in January received a favorable court ruling on a constitutional challenge to some of the state's recent tort reforms.
Hinds County Circuit Judge Swan Yerger upheld amendments to state law that require plaintiffs to give a 60-day notice to doctors before filing a medical liability lawsuit and one that says doctors are financially responsible for only their portion of fault in case. The amendments were passed in 2004 as part of a medical liability reform package that established a $500,000 cap on noneconomic damages.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit alleged that the amendments to the statutes were unconstitutional. The ruling was issued in the judge's order that dismissed some of the plaintiff's case against the defendant. At press time the plaintiffs had not decided whether they would appeal the ruling.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/02/06/prbf0206.htm.
