For medical malpractice, wrongful death, or accident cases in New York, there is a jury trial. The jury will usually have six members, and at least five members should unanimously agree to a decision to reach a verdict. Only when five members of the jury are agreeable to a decision, a judgment can be passed.
During the course of a medical malpractice or accident case trial, several objections are raised by both lawyers. The lawyer raising the objection will have to give a reason for the objection, and the judge will have to make an on the spot decision about it. If the judge feels the objection is appropriate, he will rule, “objection sustained”, and if he feels the objections is improper, he will say, “objection overruled”.
Laparoscopic surgery is considered safe, since it is minimally invasive procedure compared to normal surgery. Doctors use fiber optic tools and perform the surgery through very small incision/s, whereas in ordinary surgery the incisions will be huge. However, there are still many risks involved in laparoscopic gyn surgery and you can initiate a medical malpractice lawsuit, if you feel the surgeon did not provide the expected level of medical care.
In a medical malpractice case, the victim will be first allowed to present expert witnesses in support of the claim, and after that, the defense will have the chance to present their expert witnesses to refute the claim. This is the usual way, medical malpractice case proceeds at trial, and the defense’s expert witnesses get to have the final say. However, does the victim have a right to present a rebuttal witness to counter the points made by the defense’s expert witness? This is allowed only in certain instances.
The whole purpose of filing a medical malpractice lawsuit is to claim damages for harm and damages suffered by the victim. However, there are various types of damages, and one should know what could be claimed in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Damages can be broadly classified into two categories, economic and non-economic damages.
The passing of celebrity Joan Rivers has caused the New York State Department of Health to investigate Yorkville Endoscopy. Joan was at the clinic to undergo a routine procedure on her vocal cords. During the procedure, she unexpectedly stopped breathing and later experienced cardiac arrest. Personnel were able to revive her before transporting her to a hospital where she was intentionally placed into a temporary coma. Joan was moved to private room where she was comfortable until finally passing away.
A patient is convinced by his eye doctor to undergo cataract surgery. However during the surgery, the doctor inserts the wrong lens, and because of that the patient loses sight in that eye. The patient was experiencing some blurriness in one eye and it was not a major issue. However, the eye doctor convinced the patient that he needed cataract surgery for this issue.
There is a doctrine in the law known as continuous treatment rule, which extends the time a patient has in filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. This legally means, tolling the statute of limitations. In order to receive the advantage of continuous treatment, the patient has to continue the treatment for the same condition. This illustrates that if the patient is going to the doctor for some other complain or condition, the rule of continuous treatment will not apply.
In criminal law, the term ‘chain of custody’ is a familiar concept and until some years back it was not a major concern for civil litigators. But with the advent of online records, the actual nature of evidence in civil litigation has undergone a sea change. From tangible paper records to electronic data, the average New York lawyer now has to change his attitude towards records used as evidence in court. And that means being hyper aware of the chain of custody (COC) and how this can affect the outcome of the trial.
In a medical malpractice case, the victim usually has to present the testimony of a medical expert in support of the claim. The expert testimony will show the jury that there was wrongdoing by the medical practitioner, and such wrongdoing caused the injury, and the resulting injury is significant or permanent. However, in certain instances, a medical malpractice case will not need the expert testimony of a medical expert. The legal phrase for “expert testimony not required” is “Res Ipsa Loquitor”.
