Opinion ID: 3011408
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Informed Consent Issue

Text: The plaintiff argues that, under New Jersey common law, expert testimony is not required to establish a cause of action based on lack of informed consent, and that, as a result, the affidavit of merit statute should not apply to Count II of her complaint. We disagree. Under New Jersey's prudent patient standard, a physician must disclose all information material to a reasonably prudent patient's decision to undergo the proposed treatment. See Largey v. Rothman, 540 A.2d 504 (N.J. 1988); Bennett v. Surgidev Corp., 710 A.2d 1023, 1026 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 1998). Accordingly, under this patient-focused standard, an expert is not required to establish a standard for disclosure or to prove that a physician failed to meet the standard. See Tyndall v. Zabonski, 703 A.2d 980, 982 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 1997). This does not mean, however, that a plaintiff with a claim based on lack of informed consent can prevail under New Jersey law without expert testimony. While expert testimony is not required to establish the standard for disclosure or to prove a physician failed to meet that standard, it is still required to prove other elements of her cause of action for lack of informed consent. See id. A plaintiff alleging lack of informed consent has the burden of producing expert testimony to establish that the risk cited was one that the defendant should have been aware of because it was known to the medical community at the time. Id. Thus, proof of a risk recognized by the professional community must come from a qualified expert. Id. 11 Because a plaintiff cannot prevail on a lack of informed consent claim under New Jersey law without expert testimony that the relevant risk was recognized by the professional community, we are confident that the New Jersey courts would find the affidavit of merit statute applicable to such claims.