Legislative Efforts to Reform Medical Malpractice: Unconstitutional in Practice?

The following cases involved challenges to special medical malpractice legislation that were rejected by the courts: Woods v. Holy Cross Hospital, 591 F.2d 1164 (5th Cir. 1979); Hines v. Elkhart General Hospital, 465 F. Supp. 421 (N.D. Ind. 1979) (malpractice panel statute does not violate right to trial by jury); McCoy v. Commonwealth Board of Medical Education and Licensure, 391 A.2d 723 (Pa. 1978) (compulsory malpractice insurance statute upheld); Parker v. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 394 A.2d 932 (Pa. 1978) (malpractice screening provisions not violative of right to jury trial or due process guarantees); Everett v. Goldman, 359 So.2d 1256 (La. 1978); Attorney General of Maryland v. Johnson, 385 A.2d 57 (Md. 1978); State ex rel. Strykowski v. Wilkie, 261 N.W.2d 434 (Wisc. 1978); State ex rel. Schneider v. Liggett, 576 P.2d 221 (Kan. 1978); Eastin v. Broomfield, 570 P.2d 744 (Ariz. 1977); Paro v. Longwood Hospital, 369 N.E.2d 985 (Mass. 1977); Prendergast v. Nelson, 256 N.W.2d 657 (Neb. 1977); Carter v. Sparkman, 335 So.2d 802 (Fla. 1976), cert. den., 429 U.S. 1041(1977); Comiskey v. Arlen, 390 N.Y.S.2d 122 (1976) (admission of screening panel's recommendation at subsequent trial not violative of due process or equal protection clauses); Halpern v. Gozan, 381 N.Y.S.2d 744 (1976) (malpractice panel does not unconstitutionally infringe upon province of jury); Jones v. State Board of Medicine, 555 P.2d 399 (Ida. 1976); Flotemersch v. Bedford County General Hospital, 69 F.R.D. 556 (E.D. Tenn. 1975). Some challenges to the protective legislation were, however, sustained: State ex rel. Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital for Children v. Gaertner, 583 S.W.2d 107 (Mo. 1979) (statute violates right of access to courts guaranteed by Missouri constitution); Simon v. St. Elizabeth Medical Center, 355 N.E.2d 903 (Ohio 1976); Wright v. Central DuPage Hospital Association, 347 N.E.2d 736 (Ill. 1976); Graley v. Satayatham, 343 N.E.2d 832 (Ohio 1976).

Edelson v. Soricelli, 610 F.2d 131, 136 (3d Cir. 1979).

Id. at 132, 133.

Pa. Stat. Ann., tit. 40, §§ 1301.101–1301.1006.

Edelson, note 2 supra. The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania recently followed Edelson in Firich v. American Cytoscope Makers, Inc., 482 F. Supp. 1043 (1980).

Erie Railroad v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64 (1938) (an oft–cited decision requiring federal courts in diversity of citizenship actions to apply state law).

Edelson , note 2 supra, at 136.

Id. at 138.

Id. at 139.

The appellees relied upon Parker v. Children's Hospital, 483 Pa. 106, 394 A.2d 932 (1978), wherein the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that the arbitration panel did not unconstitutionally usurp a judicial function. The new case before the court is Mattos v. Thompson, E.D. Misc. Dkt. No. 79–124 (Pa., filed September 27, 1979). Edelson , note 2 supra, at 143.

Fla. Stat. Ann. §768.44 (1979).

Carter v. Sparkman, 335 So.2d 802 (Fla. 1976), cert. denied 429 U.S. 1041 (1977).

Aldana v. Holub, 381 So.2d 231, 235 (Fla. 1980).

Aldana v. Holub, 354 So.2d 1272 (Fla. App. 1978).

Kirschgessner v. Miami International Hospital, 356 So.2d 11 (Fla. App. 1977) (entitled Abel v. Kirschgessner in consolidated decision with Aldana, note 13 supra).

Aldana, note 13 supra, at 236.

Id.

Id. at 237.

American Bank & Trust v. Community Hospital of Los Gatos–Saratoga, 163 Cal. Rptr. 513,513 (Ct. App., 1980).

Id. at 521–22.

See, Simon Wright , and Graley , note 1 supra.

Note 19 supra. at 521.