Judge Blasts West Virginia Medical Damages Cap

A West Virginia judge who helped West Virginia’s Supreme Court hear a recent medical malpractice case is blasting the outcome.

First Circuit Judge Ronald Wilson dissented sharply on Friday with last month’s ruling that upholds limits on jury verdicts.

When adjusted for inflation, the cap is around $288,527 for most malpractice cases. It increases to $577,054 in more serious cases, including those involving death.

The limit applies to non-economic damages. These are meant to compensate for such things as pain and suffering.

Wilson wrote that those damages can also cover the loss of the ability to have children, disfigurement or the loss of a limb. He called the cap unconstitutional.

His dissent said that the courts should instead be protecting malpractice victims as well as doctors who are overcharged by insurance companies.