Opinion ID: 1955771
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: limitation on damages awarded for medical malpractice: sdcl 21-3-11

Text: The South Dakota Legislature has limited the medical malpractice damages which may be awarded a plaintiff in this state: In any action for damages for personal injury or death alleging malpractice against any physician, chiropractor, dentist, hospital, registered nurse, certified registered nurse anesthetist, licensed practical nurse or other practitioner of the healing arts under the laws of this state, whether taken through the court system or by binding arbitration, the total damages which may be awarded may not exceed the sum of one million dollars. SDCL 21-3-11 (emphasis added). After the jury returned a verdict against Clinical Lab, but before judgment was entered, the trial court, at the request of Clinical Lab, applied this statute to reduce the jury's award of $3.7 million damages to an award of $1 million. Judgment was then entered thereon against Clinical Lab per the parties' earlier stipulation that any judgment against any defendant would be entered against only it. Sander raises numerous issues regarding SDCL 21-3-11. We address three non-constitutional issues touching on the application of this statute, each of which raises questions of law. We review the trial court's resolutions of these issues de novo. Reid, 449 N.W.2d at 242. We resolve this action on the first of these issues.