Source: https://www.diederichhealthcare.com/medical-malpractice-insurance/mississippi/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 20:06:12+00:00

Document:
Tort reform was enacted in 2002 in Mississippi. . The laws came into effect January 1, 2003. The tort law changes include a cap on non-economic damages, and changes is more specific in regards to the territory where a suit can be filed. The suit must be filed in the same county where the alleged malpractice took place. Mississippi had somewhat higher average premiums than neighboring states such as Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. Tort reform and increased competition has helped to decrease the rate that doctors are now paying for professional liability insurance. The premiums have decreased for the last 4 years. The outlook for premiums in Mississippi is stable unless the tort reform is challenged and overturned. Diederich Healthcare is a leader in providing high quality, cost-effective malpractice insurance to physicians in Mississippi. Diederich provides insurance coverage with A rated carriers in a very efficient manner.
In Mississippi for medical malpractice, each physician is liable only for damages allocated to him in direct proportion to his percentage of fault. Miss. Code Ann. § 85-5-7. Fault must be assigned to absent tortfeasors who contributed to the injury (such as persons who have settled or were not sued) and those with immunity. Id.; Blailock v. Hubbs, 919 So. 2d 126 (Miss. 2005). This rule does not apply to acts committed with specific wrongful intent or as part of a common plan to commit a tortious act. § 85-5-7(1) and (4).
In cases filed before January 1, 2003, liability was joint and several, but only to the extent necessary for the claimant to recover 50 percent of his damages. Between January 1, 2003, and September 1, 2004, there was no joint liability for non-economic damages. Only those defendants determined to have 30 percent or more of total fault could be found jointly liable at all, and then only to the extent necessary for the claimant to recover 50 percent of his economic damages.
Mississippi has a cap of $500,000 on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. Most of the 2002 tort reform act applies to actions filed on or after January 1, 2003, but the section establishing the cap says that it applies to actions filed on or after passage of the bill, which was approved October 8, 2002. An amendment states that the cap applies to an entire claim, not separately for each defendant. § 11-1-60. In cases filed on or after September 1, 2004, punitive damages are limited to two percent of net worth. (There is a schedule of lower limits for defendants worth more than $50 million.) Miss. Code Ann. § 11-1-65 (Westlaw 2007).
A medical malpractice action must be brought within two years after the alleged act, omission, or neglect is discovered or with reasonable diligence might have been discovered. Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-36(1) (Westlaw 2007). This includes death claims, under a 2006 decision that overruled prior law and held that the statute of limitations for wrongful death is the same as that for the act that led to the death. Jenkins v. Pensacola Health Trust, 933 So. 2d 923 (Miss. 2006). A claim accruing on or after July 1, 1998, must also be brought within seven years after the alleged act, omission, or neglect occurred. This statute of repose is tolled until discovery for claims arising out of foreign objects left in the body and claims that have been fraudulently concealed. § 15-1-36(2).
Special provisions extend the time for an action on behalf of a minor or mentally disabled person, based on the injured person’s status on the date the cause of action is discovered or with reasonable diligence might have been discovered. For a minor six years of age or less with a parent or guardian, an action may be brought within two years of the minor’s death or sixth birthday, whichever is earlier. For a mentally disabled person, an action may be brought within two years of death or removal of the disability, whichever is earlier. § 15-1-36(3) to (8).
Effective January 1, 2003, a medical malpractice action cannot be filed until 60 days after giving the defendant written notice. If the statute of limitations would expire, it is extended to 60 days from notice. § 15-1-36(14).
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