By Mr. Jones of North Reading, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1505) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others relative to limitation for damages for pain and suffering and actions taken in medical malpractice claims.  The Judiciary.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PETITION OF:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

Mary S. Rogeness

George N. Peterson, Jr.

John A. Lepper

Viriato Manuel deMacedo

Paul K. Frost

Robert S. Hargraves

Elizabeth A. Poirier

Richard J. Ross

Susan Williams Gifford

Paul J. P. Loscocco

Donald F. Humason, Jr.

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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

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An Act relative to medical malpractice claims.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1:  Section 60H of chapter 231 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 6, 13 to 14, 21, and 23, in each instance, the words “five hundred thousand” and inserting in place thereof in each instance the figures: - “$250,000.”

SECTION 2. Said chapter 231, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after section 60K the following new sections:
Section 60L. In any action for malpractice, error or mistake against a provider of health care licensed pursuant to section 2 of chapter 112, including actions pursuant to section 60B of this chapter, an expert witness shall be board certified in the same specialty as the defendant licensed pursuant to section 2 of chapter 112.

Section 60M. In every action for malpractice, negligence, error, omission, mistake or the unauthorized rendering of professional services against a provider of health care the court may, at the request of either party, enter a judgment ordering that money damages or its equivalent for future damages of the judgment creditor be paid in whole or in part by periodic payments rather than by a lump-sum payment if the award equals or exceeds $50,000 in future damages. In entering a judgment ordering the payment of future damages by periodic payments, the court shall make a specific finding as to the dollar amount of periodic payments which will compensate the judgment creditor for such future damages, and court shall require a defendant who is not adequately insured to post security adequate to assure full payment of such damages awarded by the judgment. Upon termination of periodic payments of future damages, the court shall order the return of this security, or so much as remains, to the defendant.
(a)(1) The judgment ordering the payment of future damages by periodic payments shall specify the recipient or recipients of the payments, the dollar amount of the payments, the interval between payments, and the number of payments or the period of time over which payments shall be made. Such payments shall only be subject to modification in the event of the death of the judgment creditor.
(2) In the event that the court finds that the defendant has exhibited a continuing pattern of failing to make the payments as specified in paragraph (1), the court shall find the defendant in contempt of court and, in addition to the required periodic payments, shall order the defendant to pay the plaintiff all damages caused by the failure to make such periodic payments, including court costs and attorney’s fees.
(b)Money damages awarded for loss of future earnings shall not be reduced or payments terminated by reason of the death of the plaintiff, but shall be paid to persons to whom the plaintiff owed a duty of support, as provided by law, immediately prior to his death, or to whom the plaintiff assigned, transferred, or bequeathed his right to receive payment. In such cases the court which rendered the original judgment, may, upon petition of any party in interest, modify the judgment to award and apportion the unpaid future damages in accordance with this subdivision.
(c) Following the occurrence or expiration of all obligations specified in the periodic payment judgment, any obligation of the defendant to make future payments shall cease and any security given, pursuant to this section shall revert to the defendant.

Section 60N. In any action for malpractice, error, omission, mistake or the unauthorized rendering of professional services against a provider of health care, the liability of each defendant for damages shall be several only and shall not be joint. Each defendant shall be liable only for the amount of damages allocated to that defendant in direct proportion to that defendant’s percentage of fault, and a separate judgment shall be rendered against that defendant for that amount.