The Administrative Office of the Courts has released the Annual Report of the Tennessee Judiciary for the Fiscal Year 2012-2013. The report provides detailed information on each judicial district in the state. For instance, the report indicates the number of tort cases (claims for personal injury or wrongful death) filed in each district. It also provides information on how quickly cases are being disposed of in each district, the number of jury trials, the number of bench or judge trials, the average jury award, etc.
At The Law Offices of John Day, P.C., we carefully review this report looking for trends in tort cases or in a particular judicial district. Over the next few days, we will be posting summaries from the report about the big four: Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville. And over the next few weeks, we will be updating our website to reflect the new data for individual judicial districts.
But for today, here are the statewide numbers for the fiscal year 2012-2013:
· 385 medical malpractice cases were filed in the entire State of Tennessee. Let’s put that number in context for a minute. A 2013 study in the Journal of Patient Safety estimated 400,000 Americans will die each year due to medical errors. As for injuries, there are another approximately 15 million patients harmed each year according to The Institute for Healthcare Improvement. With that background, it would be a stretch to say that 385 medical malpractice filings (remember, these are not wins) is an epidemic. To the contrary, of the 370 medical malpractice cases only 24 went to trial and the average award was $349,354.38.
· 9,868 tort cases were filed and 9,767 tort cases were disposed of during the fiscal year. The average award was $63,076. There were 17 cases with awards between $500,000 and $1,000,000. And, there were 16 cases with awards over $1,000,000. But there were not any cases with awards over $10,000,000.
These statistics emphasize the need to hire an experienced lawyer to help you and your family with your personal injury or wrongful death case. If you would like to schedule an appointment to discuss your case, simply fill out this online form or call us at 615-742-4880 or toll-free at 866-812-8787 for a free, no-obligation consultation.