Malpractice judgments jump by almost half
The median medical malpractice jury award in 1998 was $755,530, up from $515,738 in 1997, says a study by Jury Verdict Research in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The national ratio of plaintiff victories to pro-defense verdicts dropped one point to 36%, which means plaintiffs won 36 of every 100 suits. The largest awards went to plaintiffs suing for medical negligence in childbirth, with a median award averaging $2 million. The median award for medication cases was $636,844; $625,000 for misdiagnosis; $400,000 for nonsurgical treatment; $300,000 for surgical negligence; and $230,000 for physician-patient relations.
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