Natural History of a Lawsuit

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The Incident

The Cast

The Natural History of a Lawsuit

You are involved in care of a patient who has a bad result - especially an unexpected bad result.

You receive a letter from a lawyer or Summons & complaint

The Parties will exchange written Discovery

Your deposition will be taken by the other side, under oath before a Court reporter.

Trial

Post trial motions and appeals.

A note about timing and emotions.

Legalities

A note about timing and emotions.

A lawsuit may take a long time. It may take years. Talk to your spouse- and talk to your lawyer. If you need to, find someone to talk to in your peer review group. Do not let it make you crazy. Life is too short. And the legal process says nothing whatever about your competence, or abilities because the decisions are made by people who have no training in your discipline. Try not to take it personally. Treat it like the tax system. Like the tax system, it will come around every now and again. It will be a nuisance. It will take time and energy that you resent giving away . It will cost you some money through your insurance premiums. But it says nothing whatsoever about your ability as a physician, and it certainly should not stop you from taking care of the hundreds of people who rely on you and who would never even consider suing you.