When our members call on us…we deliver. Medical Justice responds quickly to our members’ needs with genuine solutions to real concerns and pressing problems. Our medico-legal experts are equipped to help doctors proactively address a bevy of threats. Browse our case studies below.
Medical Justice Prevents a Client from Igniting a Powder Keg Online
An attorney was determined to propel meritless litigation against an existing client. They used Yelp to gather followers. Our client turned to us to defuse the situation.
Medical Justice IDs Fake Reviews – and Removes Them
A client was blasted online by a troll posing as a patient. The troll’s goal? Damage our client’s business and reputation. Our communication experts worked with Google to remove the fake reviews.
Ex-Employee Steals Database to Start Their Practice
A News Outlet Stole Our Client’s Photos – Medical Justice Protected Her Reputation
A news outlet stole a client’s photographs and used them to promote an article that could have damaged her reputation. Medical Justice got the photographs removed, neutralizing the threat to our client’s reputation.
Medical Justice Helps a Doctor Build Her Online Reputation from Scratch
A client completed her residency. But because she was a new doctor, she struggled to stand out online. Medical Justice helped her grow her online reputation from scratch. Now, she leads the pack.
Medical Justice Protects Member Physicians from Phony Expert Witnesses
Example 1: The Smoking Gun
Defendant
The defendant in this case is a plan member and a spine surgeon who was sued for issues related to placement of spinal instrumentation for a cervical fracture. The patient had no neurological deficits and the instrumentation was placed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Plaintiff’s Expert
The expert witness in this case is a spinal surgeon who had been previously disciplined by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He also claimed to be a member of the North American Spine Society, though they had no record of his ever having been a member. The Expert had never used the instrumentation in question, nor could he produce any literature to support his criticism.
Case Outcome
The medical malpractice case was dismissed several weeks prior to trial. The expert witness resigned from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons after the Congress began investigating claims related to frivolous testimony.
The Medical Licensing Board reviewed this case related to misstatement of credentials / professional affiliations.
The Central Judiciary Committee of the American College of Surgeons ruled that the expert witness testimony violated its bylaws, and he was formally disciplined by that organization.
Example 2: Unqualified Opinion, Anyone?
Defendant
Eleven physicians and a hospital were sued individually for care rendered to a patient with acute fulminant pancreatitis. This medical malpractice case had been terminated prior to purchase of Medical Justice membership.
Plaintiff’s Expert
The expert hired to testify in this medical malpractice case was a neurologist. However, pancreatitis is a condition that is generally not treated by neurologists and is outside their traditional domain of expertise. The “expert” claimed that all parties were negligent, and he signed an affidavit stating that the patient died of hypoxic encephalopathy (H.E.), or lack of oxygen to the brain. However, all humans ultimately die from H.E. regardless of their medical condition. The testimony helped plaintiff’s counsel extract nuisance settlements from each physician.
CASE OUTCOME
Because of the egregious content of the affidavit, a complaint was prepared and sent to the American Academy of Neurology and the Florida Board of Medicine. The expert resigned his membership while the complaint was pending.
Example 3: Diminishing Returns
Defendant
A physician in Florida was sued for a missed diagnosis. He was not a member of Medical Justice at the time he was sued.
Plaintiff’s Expert
Early in the case, testimony from the plaintiff’s expert suggested a strong case of obvious negligence and plaintiff’s counsel placed an initial value on the case of $300,000.
Case Outcome
The physician purchased PE Shield from Medical Justice and plaintiff’s counsel was immediately informed of this membership. The plaintiff’s expert subsequently “adjusted” his previous testimony, now suggesting the case had “no merit” and demonstrated “no negligence.” Plaintiff’s counsel agreed to dismiss the case and walk away for $5,000.
A second letter was sent to plaintiff’s counsel to remind the parties that without an expert opinion supporting negligence, there was NO CASE. Counsel dismissed the medical malpractice case “with prejudice” and the case was dropped permanently! – This was a major WIN for our Medical Justice plan member.
Example 4: Beware of Dog — Medical Justice Protects Member Doctor from $300,000 Payout – Reducing It to $0
Defendant
The defendant was a general surgeon who was not a plan member at the time the medical malpractice suit was filed. He presented to Medical Justice with an open case. This physician was being sued for failure to “fish out” a small gallstone that had dropped during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The allegation was that the stone would serve as a nidus for infection.
Plaintiff’s Expert
Though several years had elapsed, and no infection had developed, the plaintiff’s expert stated that infection was highly likely. Following this early testimony, plan member joined Medical Justice, and plaintiff’s counsel was notified of his membership.
Case Outcome
The expert subsequently changed his story at trial to suggest that now that an additional two years had passed, the risk of infection was quite low. However, his initial testimony, regarding the “high risk of infection” was also delivered many years after the original surgery. According to defense counsel, this change in testimony was instrumental in the case being decided for the defense. Our plan member stated that having Medical Justice membership was like having a big sign that says “Beware of Dog.”