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Best Law Firm Rated for Medical Malpractice & Personal Injury Law (2016-2023)
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Medical Malpractice Lawsuits & Jury Verdicts in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester and Bucks Counties
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Medical malpractice cases accepted across Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia County, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Chester County and Bucks County. Our offices are located in Conshohocken, PA (Montgomery County) and Philadelphia, PA. (610) 825-0500
Our Pennsylvania medical malpractice law firm has been handling a variety of hospital malpractice and misdiagnosis cases (stroke, heart attack, cancer) for a combined 100 years. Over the last 20 years, we have seen a sizeable increase in the number of successful (plaintiff verdict) medical malpractice lawsuits throughout Pennsylvania.
This is especially true in counties that have been historically difficult for plaintiffs, such as Delaware, Berks or Chester counties. Notably, Philadelphia County remains the most plaintiff-friendly county for medical malpractice cases.
Below, we take a look at some recent data compiled by the Pennsylvania court system. Click the link for the PA Judicial System’s medical malpractice case filing data. The data below (pre-COVID) shows a steady number of annual medical malpractice jury verdicts, whether they were defense verdicts or verdicts for plaintiffs. The data below does not include non-jury (court) verdicts, since they tend to be rare, only about 1-5 non-jury verdicts each year, across the entire state.
Over the last 5-10 years, there have been about 1,500 medical malpractice cases filed annually in Pennsylvania. This number includes cases filed against dental professionals.
During years 2016, 2017, and 2018, there were roughly 100 jury verdicts annually in Pennsylvania. Of those, about 82% were defense verdicts.
However, in 2019, there was a notable decrease in the number of statewide jury verdicts, a roughly 20% decrease. This tends to show that more medical malpractice cases are settling rather than going to trial.
In addition, 2019 saw a sizeable decrease in the percentage of defense verdicts, about 67% (versus 82% in each of the three previous years). 2020 (pre-COVID) mimicked the 2019 trend, 63% of the total jury verdicts were defense verdicts. This shows that Pennsylvania juries are becoming more plaintiff-friendly, and this is true across the state.
In 2020, with statewide court closures, the number of medical malpractice jury verdicts decreased substantially. Since then, in 2021 and 2022, the number of verdicts has begun to rise. However, with backlogs created by COVID and ongoing issues related to COVID, it may be another year or two before the number of medical malpractice verdicts gets back on track.
Medical Malpractice Lawsuits & Verdicts Over the Last 5 Years (2016-2020)
Statewide Jury Verdicts: 110
- 84.5% (93) were defense verdicts
Plaintiff Verdicts:
- 3.6% (4) were less than $500K
- 1.8% (2) were between $500K to $1M
- 3.6% (4) were between $1-5M
- 5.5% (6) were between $5-10M
- .9% (1) were over $10M
Counties with defense verdict rate lower than the state average: Philadelphia (68.8%), Montgomery (83.3%), Lancaster (60%), Berks (66.7%), Centre (33.3%)
Counties with no defense verdicts (all jury verdicts were for plaintiff): Clearfield, Butler
Statewide Jury Verdicts: 102
- 79.4% (81) were defense verdicts
Plaintiff Verdicts:
- 7.8% (8) were less than $500K
- 2.9% (3) were between $500K to $1M
- 7.8% (8) were between $1-5M
- 2% (2) were between $5-10M
- 0% (0) were over $10M
Counties with defense verdict rate lower than the state average: Philadelphia (61.9%), Monroe (60%), Mercer (50%), Luzerne (75%), Franklin/Fulton (50%), Delaware (50%)
Counties with no defense verdicts (all jury verdicts were for plaintiff): Huntingdon, Cumberland, Clarion
Statewide Jury Verdicts: 106
- 83% (88) were defense verdicts
Plaintiff Verdicts:
- 6.6% (7) were less than $500K
- .9% (1) were between $500K to $1M
- 5.7% (6) were between $1-5M
- 1.9% (2) were between $5-10M
- 1.9% (2) were over $10M
Counties with defense verdict rate lower than the state average: Westmoreland (80%), Philadelphia (69.6%), Lackawanna (50%), Delaware (50%), Chester (66.7%)
Counties with no defense verdicts (all jury verdicts were for plaintiff): Washington
Statewide Jury Verdicts: 78
- 66.7% (52) were defense verdicts
Plaintiff Verdicts:
- 9% (7) were less than $500K
- 5.1% (4) were between $500K to $1M
- 14.1 (11) were between $1-5M
- 3.8% (3) were between $5-10M
- 1.3% (1) were over $10M
Counties with defense verdict rate lower than the state average: Washington (50%), Philadelphia (58.8%), Lehigh (25%), Cambria (50%)
Counties with no defense verdicts (all jury verdicts were for plaintiff): Westmoreland, Northampton, Luzerne, Lawrence, Greene, Erie, Chester, Bucks
Statewide Jury Verdicts: 27
- 63% (17) were defense verdicts
Plaintiff Verdicts:
- 14.8% (4) were less than $500K
- 11.1% (3) were between $500K to $1M
- 3.7% (1) were between $1-5M
- 0% (0) were between $5-10M
- 7.4% (2) were over $10M
Counties with defense verdict rate lower than the state average: Lackawanna (50%), Bucks (25%), Blair (50%), Allegheny (50%)
Counties with no defense verdicts (all jury verdicts were for plaintiff): Lawrence, Dauphin, Chester, Cambria
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We Accept Medical Malpractice Cases Against Hospitals in the Philadelphia Area
Cases Also Accepted Across Pennsylvania
Philadelphia County
Chestnut Hill Hospital Einstein Medical Hahnemann Hospital Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Jeanes Hospital | Methodist Hospital Pennsylvania Hospital Roxborough Memorial Hospital Temple University Hospital Thomas Jefferson University Hospital |
Delaware County
Crozer-Chester Medical Center (Upland) Delaware County Memorial Hospital (Drexel Hill, Upper Darby) | Springfield Hospital (Springfield) Taylor Hospital (Ridley) |
Montgomery County
Abington Hospital (Abington, Lansdale) Bryn Mawr Hospital (Bryn Mawr) Einstein Medical (East Norriton, Elkins Park) | Holy Redeemer Hospital (Meadowbrook) Lankenau Hospital (Wynnewood) Suburban Community Hospital (Norristown) |
Children's Hospitals
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Phila., West Chester, East Norriton, Meadowbrook, Doylestown, Langhorne, Sellersville, etc.)
St. Christopher's Hospital for Children
Shriner's Hospitals for Children
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