Opinion ID: 2366251
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Affidavit of Merit Statute

Text: The Affidavit of Merit Statute, N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-26 to -29, on which Woodrow Hall relies in asserting the need for pre-suit depositions in this and similar cases, applies to actions for damages for personal injuries, wrongful death or property damage resulting from malpractice or negligence by a licensed person engaged in his profession or occupation. The term licensed person includes accountants, architects, attorneys, dentists, engineers, physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, professional nurses and health care facilities. See N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-26. The statute mandates that in suits to which the statute applies the plaintiff, within sixty days of the filing of an answer to the complaint by each defendant, must provide that defendant with an affidavit by a qualified licensed expert in the professional field involved in the action certifying that there exists a reasonable probability that the care, skill or knowledge exercised or exhibited in the treatment, practice or work that is the subject of the complaint, fell outside acceptable professional or occupational standards or treatment practices. N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-27. For good cause, a court may grant one extension of time for filing the affidavit, not to exceed sixty days. Ibid. Failure to file an affidavit of merit concerning a specific defendant constitutes a failure to state a cause of action against that defendant. N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-29. No affidavit of merit shall be required if the plaintiff files a sworn statement certifying (1) that the plaintiff, by certified mail or personal service, requested the defendant in question to deliver medical records or information having a substantial bearing on preparation of the affidavit and enclosed an authorization for release of the records, and (2) that the defendant failed to deliver the requested records or information notwithstanding the passage of forty-five days since service of the request. N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-28. The legislative history pertinent to the Affidavit of Merit Statute supports the conclusion that its purpose was to require plaintiffs in malpractice cases to make a threshold showing that their claim is meritorious, in order that meritless lawsuits readily could be identified at an early stage of litigation. See Peter Verniero, Chief Counsel to the Governor, Report to the Governor on the Subject of Tort Reform (Sept. 13, 1994).