Counsel You Can Trust
Doctors, surgeons, nurses, and other individual healthcare professionals can be found guilty of medical malpractice when their patients suffer harm due to their inattentiveness or failure to follow the applicable standard of care. If you or a loved one have been injured and you are searching for a medical malpractice attorney in Michigan, you are likely facing a complex and overwhelming situation. At Giroux Pappas, we represent individuals and families harmed by negligent medical care. When a healthcare provider makes a medical mistake, the ramifications can be catastrophic for patients and their families.
Client Stories
How Our Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Giroux Pappas Work
Case Spotlight
Our team of medical malpractice attorneys led a meticulous economic-damages strategy that secured a $2.6 million settlement for a client who suffered a severe injury losing a portion of her leg. Because Michigan’s non-economic damages are capped, the team built a comprehensive economic case through life-care planning, medical cost projections, and home-modification experts—ensuring the client’s long-term needs would be met.
A medical malpractice claim is a civil lawsuit alleging that a healthcare professional or facility provided negligent care that deviates from the accepted standard of care, resulting in injury or death. Four key elements that must be proven for a successful case: a duty of care, a breach of that duty, proximate cause, or that the breach caused the harm done, and damages. A medical malpractice attorney in Michigan will work to acquire evidence of these elements.
In medical malpractice cases in the state of Michigan that do not result in death, generally the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the act or omission that is the basis for the claim, meaning the date the health care provider did something deemed negligent.
However, sometimes a person doesn’t know malpractice has been committed. In certain cases, an action involving a claim based on medical malpractice may be commenced within 6 months after the injured party discovers or should have discovered the claim’s existence, whichever is earlier.
Additionally, in cases involving medical malpractice claims for a person under the age of eight years, the person has until their tenth birthday to bring the claim.
We do not recommend filing a medical malpractice claim before consulting with an experienced medical malpractice attorney. In general, these types of cases begin with a Notice of Intent to File. This written notice must be served to potential defendants at least 182 days before the lawsuit is filed. Serving a Notice of Intent suspends Michigan’s statute of limitations for 182 days. Additionally, at the start of every case filed in court, plaintiffs must submit an Affidavit of Merit signed by a healthcare professional who meets expert requirements defined by MCL600.2169.
The Affidavit of Merit is a written expert narrative that asserts that the defendant breached the mandated “Standard of Care.” In response, a defendant is required to file an Affidavit of Meritorious Defense to refute the plaintiff’s assertions.
An experienced Michigan medical malpractice attorney will advise you on these steps and work with you to begin your case.
Most personal injury firms including Giroux Pappas work on contingency fee arrangements. These arrangements mean that we do not charge you any money until we settle your case or obtain a just verdict for you through a trial. If and when a settlement or a verdict and judgment is paid, we will take a percentage of the awarded compensation.
There is no average number. Each case is unique and varies based on many factors, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, the severity and permanence of the injuries or conditions, and the age of the injured person.
There are two primary types of damages you could recover: economic, which could include medical expenses and lost wages, and non-economic, which doesn’t have a set monetary value and could include pain and suffering, lost quality of life, and emotional distress.
During your free consultation, our medical malpractice attorneys will ask you to share details about your story. To assess the validity and strength of your case, our attorneys will need to review documents related to your incident, including medical bills, copies of medical records, the address of the healthcare facility you visited, names of any medical professional whose care you were under, and a list of treatments or therapies prescribed to you as part of a treatment plan.
Often medical malpractice cases are some of the most complex types of personal injury cases. Attorneys must have proof that a healthcare provider deviated from the accepted standard of care, and this deviation caused the injury. Michigan law has strict procedural requirements that include expert testimony and detailed medical record review. Our Michigan medical malpractice attorneys work closely with qualified experts to build strong, evidence based cases.
If you’re considering your options, the first step is a conversation. We will review your situation, answer your questions, and help you understand whether you have a case.
