Medical Malpractice

Medical Malpractice Interrogatories - What Is It For

Medical malpractice interrogatories are interrogatories used in medical malpractice cases. Interrogatories are the lists of questions that are passed out by each side of a lawsuit to the other side before the case goes to trial. These questions must be answered as a part of the discovery process, and are usually limited to thirty questions. These medical malpractice interrogatories provide those one both sides of the case with the necessary background information they need to prepare their cases.

Questions in medical malpractice interrogatories are typically about the backgrounds of the different parties, and not all of them are always immediately relevant to the case. They are meant to clarify matters of evidence and find out in advance what type of evidence is going to be presented at that trial. Medical malpractice interrogatories are an important part of the discovery process, and should be answered and returned in a timely manner whenever possible to avoid holding up the case.

The medical malpractice interrogatories given to the plaintiff are typically questions such as name, address, type of work, history, the names of doctors seen, and the treatment received. Documents need to be produced to backup the answers provided to the medical malpractice interrogatories, such as medical records, work information and income tax records.

Medical malpractice interrogatories are usually required to be returned within 30 days, and therefore the requests for documents must be limited to those that can be produced within this amount of time.

The medical malpractice interrogatories given to the defendant usually include questions on the doctor's background, medical background, whether the doctor has ever been involved in a malpractice suit either as a medical expert or as a defendant, the history of treatment of the plaintiff, any references you would like to use in the case, insurance information, hospital affiliation, any witnesses to the care, the plaintiff's previous medical history, and any witnesses or experts that have information on the case or will be called on during the trial.

There are some standard medical malpractice interrogatories that should be used whenever possible to limit disputes involved with the interrogatory process, since this can make the litigation process even more lengthy than it already is. These standard medical malpractice interrogatories may differ a bit from state to state, but for the most part are very similar.

For those lawyers who frequently deal with medical malpractice suits, there is even a book with CD called Medical Malpractice: Checklists and Discovery that includes 36 sample medical malpractice interrogatories to cover the most common types of medical malpractice cases.