Category Archives: Malpractice
RIGHT TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE
Regardless of your insurance status, you are eligible to receive emergency medical care within the State of California. You have the right to receive emergency care at any licensed facility with an emergency room. You have the right to be treated until your emergency medical condition is stabilized when you go to a hospital… Read More »
The Howell Decision: Is it Worse for Plaintiffs than MICRA?
The Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) was passed in 1975 and limits non-economic damages (pain, suffering and death of a loved one) in California medical malpractice cases to $250,000.00. Prior to December 1975, juries were free to weigh all evidence and award an amount of non-economic damages appropriate for the injury to the… Read More »
It is GPS Monitoring, not GPS Tracking
“Wow…thank you. I didn’t realize GPS would be so interesting.” That was the most repeated comment by attendees at the last meeting of the Riverside County Barristers Association after Petra Fuhriman co-owner of GPS Monitoring Solutions explained the difference between tracking and real-time, 24/7 GPS monitoring. Although it was the second meeting of the… Read More »
James Heiting interviewed regarding recent article in National Law Journal
James Otto Heiting was recently interviewed regarding the article which was published in the National Law Journal. Click here to see/hear the interview.
PROTECTING A LITIGANT’S RIGHT TO PRIVACY
In today’s modern social environment, it has become increasingly important to manage one’s personal and private information in order to protect against identity theft, fraud, and the like. As participants in a lawsuit, plaintiffs and defendants alike are often required to disclose a great deal of personal information, including financial and medical documents, identification… Read More »
The Real Losers Under MICRA
California enacted the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, known as MICRA, in 1975 to combat concerns over the availability and rising price of medical malpractice insurance. This Act established a limitation, or cap, of $250,000 on the amount a person could recover for any pain, suffering, distress, anguish, and loss of quality of life… Read More »
Statutes of Limitations and Why You Shouldn’t “Wait and See”
It’s a story I hear on an almost weekly basis. “After the surgery, I knew something was wrong but Dr. X told me to ‘wait a year and see what happens.’” From a legal standpoint, this is terrible advice when dealing with a potential medical malpractice claim in California. What’s wrong with waiting a… Read More »
Tide Turns Against Medical Malpractice Caps
A Georgia trial judge recently struck down that state’s limits on the amount of pain and suffering damages a plaintiff can receive in a medical malpractice case. Fulton County State Court Judge Diane E. Bessen declared the caps violated Georgia’s State Constitution, specifically the provisions guaranteeing the right to a jury trial, separation of… Read More »
Good Communication Can Reduce Lawsuits
Premiums charged by insurers are outrageous! Profit-driven underwriting for professional negligence makes all of us, except the insurance companies, suffer. Although virtually every state has enacted some sort of “medical liability reform” to keep down premiums and financial risk to physicians and medical providers, these reforms, while onerous to the injured parties in many… Read More »
