Lawyers Suing Lawyers
Mike Abrams, Executive Vice President of the Iowa Medical Society
Normally I don't delight in other people's misery, but I must admit I accidentally smiled when I read the recent AP story that reported on the New Orleans' District Attorney's office lamenting the impact of a huge jury award they have to pay. According to the AP, "New Orleans' new district attorney is warning that his office may need to file for bankruptcy protection because it can't afford to pay $15 million to a man who spent 18 years on death row before being exonerated." An appeals court recently upheld the verdict. Oops.
What about the physicians who have stopped practicing due to their experiences with being sued? Decades of physicians protesting outrageous judgments and the impact on health care of huge jury awards might be enhanced if legal offices begin to suffer from some of their own practices. I don't begrudge the injured person's right to recompense following 18 years of life lost on death row. But it is interesting to see the impact on a local DA's office.
No doubt that, when this is finally resolved, the plaintiff will receive a hefty sum, and the DA's office will not be bankrupt. But isn't it interesting to see the impact of huge awards on an important legal office?