Opinion ID: 197865
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Application of the standard of liability

Text: 13 The negligence alleged in this case is medical malpractice. Under Massachusetts tort law, a plaintiff in a medical malpractice suit bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that a physician-patient relationship existed between the physician and the injured party, that the physician breached his or her duty of care, and that the breach was the proximate cause of the injury. See Blood v. Lea, 403 Mass. 430, 530 N.E.2d 344, 347 (1988); see also Poyser v. United States, 602 F.Supp. 436, 438 (D.Mass.1984); Berardi v. Menicks, 340 Mass. 396, 164 N.E.2d 544, 546 (1960). Generally, a plaintiff in a medical malpractice action may carry his or her burden of proof on the issues of negligence and causation only with the assistance of expert testimony. See Harlow v. Chin, 405 Mass. 697, 545 N.E.2d 602, 605 (Mass.1989) (expert testimony generally required to prove causation); Forlano v. Hughes, 393 Mass. 502, 471 N.E.2d 1315, 1319 (1984) (expert medical opinion generally required to prove breach of duty of care). A physician is held to the standard of care and skill of the average practitioner of the medical specialty in question, taking into account the advances in the profession. See Poyser, 602 F.Supp. at 438-39 (citing Brune v. Belinkoff, 354 Mass. 102, 235 N.E.2d 793, 798 (1968)). Proof of the element of causation, which is an issue of fact, depends on whether it is more probable than not that the death was the result of the physician's negligence. See Harlow, 545 N.E.2d at 605. Here it must be emphasized that: 14 [w]hile the plaintiff is not bound to exclude every other possibility of cause for his injury except that of the negligence of the defendant, he is required to show by evidence a greater likelihood that it came from an act of negligence for which the defendant is responsible than from a cause for which the defendant is not liable. 15 Forlano, 471 N.E.2d at 1319 (citations omitted). 16 The defendant argues that the district court erred as a matter of law by evaluating its actions under a strict liability rather than negligence standard of care. The United States points to certain isolated statements made by the trial judge during trial that, it claims, establish that he applied a strict liability standard of care. We disagree. The comments in question were vague and do not necessarily establish that the judge applied the wrong standard of care. Indeed, in his findings of fact and conclusions of law, the trial judge relied on expert medical opinion in determining that Mr. Hassey's treating physicians provided negligent medical care, and that their negligence was a proximate cause of his death.