In general, there is a two-year statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims in Texas. This means that a medical malpractice lawsuit must be filed no later than two years after the negligent act or omission occurred, or it is prohibited by the statute of limitations and cannot be brought. In Texas, a person injured by medical malpractice has two years to file a lawsuit in court. The two-year clock starts ticking on the date the negligence occurred.
If the medical error occurred as part of a course of ongoing medical treatment, the two-year prescription period usually starts running on the last day of that treatment. Texas also has a rule in place that says that once more than 10 years have passed since the alleged medical error occurred, you will have lost your right to file a medical malpractice lawsuit in Texas. This is known as the statute of repose, and it acts as a kind of broader general filing deadline. To amount to negligence, medical treatment must fall below an accepted standard of health care, and substandard treatment must result in harm.
In other words, if a healthcare professional makes a mistake, but the patient is not harmed by it, there is no malpractice. Medical malpractice is a specific type of professional negligence on the part of a healthcare provider. In the context of medical malpractice, negligence means that the healthcare provider failed to comply with the applicable accepted standard of health care. Do You Have Grounds for a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit in Texas?.
Most medical malpractice cases involve “the highly specialized art of treating diseases,” so “the court and jury must rely on expert testimony. This website has been prepared by Medical Malpractice for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If the injured patient was a child under the age of 12, a medical malpractice lawsuit can be filed on behalf of the minor at any time before the child turns 14. The new law allows the injured patient to ask the court to make a preliminary determination as to whether the lawsuit is a medical malpractice claim that requires an expert report.
If you believe you have a medical malpractice case in Texas, along with the 60-day notice of claim described above, you (or more specifically, your attorney) must provide each designated healthcare provider with an authorization form for release of protected health information, so that each health care provider medical care can begin to investigate your claims. The Texas statute of limitations for medical malpractice is a confusing law that, unfortunately, has caused many people to lose out in their day in court. If the harm inflicted by medical malpractice is not immediately evident or noticeable, claimants have 10 years to file their lawsuit. Due to strict time limits on medical malpractice cases in Texas, it is important that you start your medical malpractice lawsuit as soon as possible.
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional or entity harms a patient during the course of treatment. Once a medical malpractice lawsuit has been filed in Texas, and the respondent healthcare provider has filed an answer in response to the lawsuit, the plaintiff and his lawyer must, within 120 days, serve the defendant an expert report that includes the expert's resume (or CV), similar to a resume). Sections II to XI examine key technical aspects specific to bringing and prosecuting a medical malpractice action in Texas. Pretrial Requirements for Medical Malpractice Cases -Prior Notice to Claim for Health Care Claim -Pretrial Authorization Form for Disclosure of Protected Health Information -Reduction Procedures -Ex Parte Communications -Collection of Statute of Limitations -Deficient Authorization Form and statute of limitations toll.
In Texas, as in most other states, the person filing a medical malpractice lawsuit (the plaintiff) must comply with a number of procedural rules at the beginning of the case. You can find the Texas statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims in section 74.251 of the Texas Civil Practice Resource Code &. . .
