Medical lawsuits get a lot of press, media attention, and blogging comments. And while medical malpractice lawsuits offer large awards in the United States, this doesn’t hold true in Canada. In fact, many would claim that in the United States, medical malpractice awards are way out of proportion to the injuries plaintiffs suffer. Here in Canada, medical lawsuit awards are much lower. A medical lawsuit that is sure to succeed in the United States is not a lawsuit that is economically feasible to consider pursuing here.

Why you might ask? Aren’t Canadians just as injured in a medical malpractice case as an American? The majority of doctors in Canada are defended by the Canadian Medical Protection Association (CMPA), an organization with a great deal of influence and a great deal of money. With billions of dollars in assets, the CMPA dedicates itself to standing by their doctors. The organization uses its vast financial resources to hire the best in defence lawyers and experts to defend doctors accused medical of malpractice in a medical lawsuit.

Victims of these malpractice lawsuits, however, are already struggling financially from their injuries, medical expenses, ongoing rehabilitation, medical care and lost wages. Consequently, the financial challenge a medical lawsuit would entail just isn’t worth it to the average medical malpractice victim. A seemingly insurmountable challenge, a medical lawsuit against a CMPA member is doomed to failure.

Defences that doctors use to defend a medical malpractice lawsuit include:

• Forseeablility – Doctors are commissioned with a duty to protect their patients from foreseeable dangers and risks. However, doctors frequently allege that the outcome of a particular medical procedure was an unforeseeable consequence of the treatment and thus have a defence. Continue reading →