Proposal to Cut Venue Rule in Medical Malpractice Cases Sparks Debate

The Civil Procedural Rules Committee’s proposed rescission of the venue rule in medical malpractice cases has sparked spirited debate in legislative, spheres. The committee’s process is confidential. The publicly available information is limited. But, no known data supports the committee’s conclusion that the rule “no longer appears warranted,” see 48 Pa. Bulletin 7744 (Dec. 22, 2018). Health care providers, insurers, members of the defense bar and related organizations, therefore, strongly support the Supreme Court’s recent decision to defer consideration of any amendment to the rule pending the report of the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee on the potential effects of the proposed rule change.

Kim Kocher and Dan Ferhat discuss the significance of the proposed repeal of the venue rule to healthcare providers in the Commonwealth in their recent article Proposal to Cut Venue Rule in Medical Malpractice Cases Sparks Debate.