On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:03:57 -0800, "Bill McKee"
wrote:

How many times is that $54 billion exceeded by cover your ass extra
diagnostic tests?

Actual real case.

1 - Two doctors are sued for not catching a PE (pulmonary embolism) in
an otherwise healthy 50 yo woman with no prior history of asthma,
heart disease, non-smoker.

2 - Husband sues for 10 million dollars.

3 - Husband wraps himself around a telephone pole in his car drunk and
dies.

4 - Case is picked up by son who left home at 16 and hadn't seen or
contacted his mother in five years.

5 - Son is arrested for heroin possesion with intent to distribute,
assault on a police officer and various other charges.

6 - Case is picked up by sister who promptly moves to another state
and drops case due to indifference.

7 - Case is transferred to Federal Court and picked up by Nephew in
Nebraska.

8 - Nephew deployed to Iraq, additional plaintiff picked up - First
Cousin also in Nebraska.

9 - Case moved to pre-trial where plaintiff's offered to settle for 6
million - rejected.

10 - Case moved to trial - four days. Jury takes one hour to
deliberate and finds doctors not guilty with no award.

11 - Case moved to Federal Appeals and rejected.

12 - Case moved back to state court with additional plaintiff -
another First Cousin.

13 Case settled for $750,000.

Total years - 9.
Total expenses (practice) - $650,000.
Total expenses (insurance) - 2.7 million
Lost wages: 1 million (practice had to be shut down for a total of
four weeks)
Practice legal counsel: $400,000

Total cost: $5.5 million dollars

Multiply that by how many?

That's where the costs are - it's not the awards - it's the defense
expenses that cost. And the additional malpractice and ommissions and
commissions insurance expenses to protect themselves from these trial
vultures that will sue for anything and keep on suing until they get
something.

The only good thing that came out of this particular case by the way
wsa that the plaintiffs recieved, after expenses, $3,000 apiece.