Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. -- Plaintiff awards for medical malpractice cases are on the rise, according to Jury Verdict Research®'s latest, Medical Malpractice: Verdicts, Settlements and Statistical Analysis Updated Edition. Plaintiffs received a median malpractice award of $1.2 million in 2003, up from $1 million in 2002.

"Even though we're showing the median medical malpractice award is a bit higher in 2003, we are still showing that the odds of a plaintiff receiving a favorable verdict are relatively low," said Jennifer Shannon, Jury Verdict Research® managing editor. The new study reports that plaintiffs have a 36 percent chance of receiving a favorable verdict.

Since 1997, the award median for medical malpractice cases has been increasing, except for a small decrease in 2001, and the trend continues through 2003. The median award for medical malpractice, overall from 1997 through 2003, is $753,901. The award median reflects the middle value of awards listed in ascending order, so it provides the most accurate gauge of nationwide trends.

This study also reports on the median awards and settlement amounts for specific liabilities within the medical malpractice category, such as childbirth and negligent surgery, as well as specific injuries for medical malpractice awards. It includes charts and graphs for quick references to important medical malpractice award data.

Based on a database of more than 250,000 nationwide personal-injury plaintiff and defense verdicts and settlements, the Medical Malpractice booklet also includes:

• The median number of months from incident to trial date
• Punitive award data
• Complete analysis of settlement awards
• Noteworthy case summaries for both verdicts and settlements

Copies of Medical Malpractice: Verdicts, Settlements and Statistical Analysis Updated Edition are available from Jury Verdict Research® for $48.75 plus $5.50 shipping/handling. To order or for more information call
1-800-341-7874; visit www.lrp.com/medmal.html or e-mail custserve@lrp.com.

Jury Verdict Research® maintains the only nationwide database of more than 250,000 plaintiff and defense verdicts and settlements, resulting from personal injury claims. The data are reported, tabulated and analyzed to determine values, trends and deviations for 400 injuries and 300 liabilities. Jury Verdict Research® is a division of LRP Publications, Inc.

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MEDIA ONLY: For a free media-review copy of the pamphlet, call Julie Kline at
561-622-6520, ext. 8723, or e-mail jkline@lrp.com.