Long Term Care & Senior Living Blog

Effective January 1, 2017, Illinois will enact Molly’s Law, which extends the time period in which a victim’s family can file a wrongful death lawsuit in situations where the victim dies as the result of an act that was intentional and violent in nature. This law was introduced by State Representative Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) in February 2016. The law amends the current Wrongful Death statute of limitations from two years to five years for scenarios where the death is the result of violent intentional conduct or within one year after the final disposition of the criminal case if the defendant is charged with first degree murder,

As reported by Missouri Lawyers Weekly, “a parade of lab-coated doctors” appeared before the Missouri State Senate and House of Representatives in early February 2013 to argue that the recent Missouri Supreme Court decision in Watts v. Cox Medical Center will reverse years of declining malpractice insurance rates. In Watts, the Court held in a 4-3 decision that the statutory cap of $350,000 on noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering is unconstitutional because it violates the plaintiff’s right to a trial by jury. The doctors argued that unlimited noneconomic damages will harm the availability and affordability of health care in Missouri and that restoring the cap will help to control costs and keep doctors in Missouri.