Can a person win a wrongful death case against a doctor without proving medical malpractice?

Full question:

Can a person win a wrongful death case against a doctor without proving medical malpractice? Can a tort claim of wrongful death prevail by libel,deceit, neglect and other tortious claims? Can the Doe in a first claim be used without the person being named or by them just being mentioned in the Complaint?

  • Category: Civil Actions
  • Subcategory: Medical Malpractice
  • Date:
  • State: California

Answer:

If the wrongful death occurred as a result of improper treatment while under medical care, the proper claim would be medical malpractice, which can include neglect, misinformation, etc. If the death occurred as a result of something that occurred outside the doctor-patient relationship, then another theory might apply. A party is named as a Doe when their identity has not yet been obtained. Please see:

http://www.uslegalforms.com/legaldefinitions/m/medical-malpractice.php

This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.

FAQs

The hardest thing to prove in court often depends on the case type. In wrongful death cases, proving causation—that the defendant's actions directly caused the death—can be particularly challenging. This requires clear evidence linking the defendant's conduct to the death, which is often complicated by medical complexities or other intervening factors.