Illinois Supreme Court

On Thursday, the Illinois Supreme Court put limits on jury related awards in medical malpractice cases. It was passed by Legislature around 4 years ago during spiking liability expenses for medical providers.

The court decided that the ceiling cap on pain as well as other non economic damages — half a million dollars per case for doctors and $1 million for hospitals — are against the constitution.

This is now the third time the state’s high court has set limits on medical malpractice awards,similar occurrences  happening in 1976 as well as 1997.

This  court ruling is a great blow for hospitals,physicians and malpractice insurers, who had argued 5 years ago that ridiculous lawsuits and runaway jury decisions were spiking up insurance rates and forcing physicians to leave the state, sometimes the nation.

The ruling comes from a malpractice lawsuit charged four years ago by the family of a girl who had experienced brain damage during her delivery in Melrose Park’s Gottlieb Memorial Hospital. Illinois Supreme Court lawyers selected this as the “test case” to challenge the law.