There is a wide range in how long medical malpractice cases take, but they all follow these general steps.
1
Medical care results in injury
Often it will be clear right away if you have suffered an injury as the result of medical care. Other times, the injury becomes apparent months later. There are deadlines on when a medical malpractice case can be filed in Illinois. You have two years from the time when you discovered (or should have discovered) your injury. There are exceptions; four years in some cases, just one year in others.
2
Consult an attorney
If you suspect you have a medical malpractice case, consult with an attorney as soon as possible. An initial consultation with help you decide whether to pursue a lawsuit. And doing this soon after discovering your injury will help ensure you don’t miss the deadline. If you do, your case could be barred forever.
3
Find a medical expert
An Illinois medical malpractice lawsuit can’t be filed without the report of an expert. A medical expert needs to review your case and give their opinion as to whether your provider breached their duty of care. In other words, you can’t file a lawsuit based on undesirable results. An attorney will know where to find an expert for your case.
4
Discovery and motions
Discovery and motions are the most time-consuming steps in medical malpractice lawsuits. Discovery is the process of finding out all the facts, including interviewing the other party. The defendant will find their own expert, who will likely disagree with your expert. Motions can be made on a variety of issues. A common motion is one for summary judgment, where a party asks the judge to decide the case without a trial. The judge will do so if there doesn’t appear to be a valid claim.
5
Negotiating a settlement
Any time before trial – or even during trial – the parties are allowed to negotiate and resolve the case on their own without the help of a judge or jury. The negotiations can be informal, between the attorneys for either side. Or they can be more formal, in front of a third party mediator or arbitrator.
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