Nevada Legislative Panel Approves Bill Raising Medical Malpractice Caps
Patients in Nevada who have suffered medical injuries due to malpractice by doctors will now be able to claim unlimited damages for pain and suffering.
Last week, a Nevada assembly judiciary committee voted to approve a bill that lifts the cap on medical malpractice court judgments. The bill, which is supported by medical injury lawyers, will protect patients who have been exposed to medical negligence. Propelling Bill 495 forward was the recent Hepatitis C scandal in the state, in which more than 50,000 patients were believed to have been exposed to the deadly disease as a result of poor standards of hygiene at two Las Vegas clinics. Health officials confirmed that 9 patients who were treated at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada and the Desert Shadow Endoscopic Center, both owned by Doctor Dipak Desai, tested positive for Hepatitis C.
The scandal resulted in several malpractice lawsuits filed by medical malpractice attorneys against the facilities. There has also been severe criticism of the state board of medical examiners for its failure to correct errant doctors and punish them accordingly.
The experience of these patients, who have been exposed to a potentially fatal infection due to the utter negligence of doctors, has no doubt spurred the committee to move quickly to approve Bill 495. Patients who have filed lawsuits have demanded changes in the law which currently places a $350,000 cap on malpractice lawsuits. However, Bill 495 does not apply retroactively to the Las Vegas Clinic Hepatitis C cases.
Opponents of the bill have been staging protests in the days leading up to the vote. Their argument? The bill would raise doctors' insurance premiums and force doctors to leave Nevada. The bill will be sent to the general assembly this week. We hope law makers will do the right thing and return patients' rights to justice.
Medical Malpractice Attorney
Doctors' failure to keep their facilities cleaned properly and free of dangerous diseases puts, not only their patients at risk, but also the family and friends of those patients and so on. A medical injury attorney can hold negligent physicians accountable for their recklessness.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to a doctor's negligence a medical malpractice attorney can help you recover physically, mentally, and financially. Contact a medical malpractice attorney at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free evaluation of your case.
