On April 19, 2010, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, Ronald D. Castille announced the release of PA State Court data which showed a large decrease in medical malpractice litigation. In 2009, there were 1,533 Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawsuits filed. This was a 43.9% decline from the average number of claims filed in the years 2000 thru 2002 before changes were made in this type of personal injury litigation.
One change requires PA personal injury attorneys to file a medical Certificate of Merit which establishes that the medical procedures in the case fall outside acceptable medical standards. The other new requirement mandates that the lawsuit must be filed in the County where the alleged medical malpractice was actually committed. While these reforms have reduced the number of claims, the Chief Justice noted that “justice for our citizens is still being delivered where patients are truly injured by medical mistakes.”
