In 2023, malpractice verdicts hit a record high. There were 57 medical malpractice verdicts of $10 million or more, with more than half of those verdicts hitting $25 million.
Here are five notes on the rise of malpractice verdicts:
1. New York, Illinois and Florida typically see the highest dollar verdicts, reported Medscape Medical News in February.
2. However, so-called "nuclear" verdicts now occur in states like Utah and Georgia, where they were once uncommon.
3. A rollback of tort reforms across the country is one contributor, Robert White Jr., president of TDC Group and The Doctors Company, a national medical liability insurer for physicians, told Medscape Medical News.
4. A recent medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuit against Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Ore., seeks $303 million in damages.
5. General surgeons are the most frequently sued specialty. A 2023 Medscape survey indicated that 90% of general surgeons have been the sole or co-defendant in a malpractice suit.