Opinion ID: 1539955
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Medical Negligence Act Statute Of Limitations

Text: Delaware's medical negligence statute appears in title 18, chapter 68 of the Delaware Code. [23] The Delaware Medical Malpractice Act was enacted in 1976 to address concerns about the law that existed at the time and the rising costs of malpractice liability insurance. [24] The report to the Governor by the drafting committee stated: The overall effect [of the Medical Malpractice Act] will be to eliminate the uncertainty created by the present open-ended period of limitations. [25] Title 18, section 6856 sets forth the applicable statute of limitations for actions alleging medical malpractice. It relevantly provides: No action for the recovery of damages upon a claim against a health care provider for personal injury, including personal injury which results in death, arising out of medical negligence shall be brought after the expiration of 2 years from the date upon which such injury occurred; provided, however, that: (1) Solely in the event of personal injury the occurrence of which, during such period of 2 years, was unknown to and could not in the exercise of reasonable diligence have been discovered by the injured person, such action may be brought prior to the expiration of 3 years from the date upon which such injury occurred, and not thereafter[.] [26] Accordingly, the General Assembly chose a definite statute of limitations, with a two-year period applicable to injuries discovered within two years of the wrongful act and a three-year period applicable to inherently unknowable injuries. [27] In 1998, the Medical Malpractice Act was amended and is now referred to as the Medical Negligence Act. [28] Although the Act has been amended various times since its enactment in 1976, the relevant portion of section 6856 has not changed.