Statistics Confirmed in Recent Orange County Register "Opinion" Piece.
As reported by Lawrence McQuillan and John R. Graham in a piece in the "Opinion" section of the September 8, 2010 The Orange County Register, doctors prevail in 90% of cases that go to trial, but the average defense cost per trial approaches $100,000 (which we assume includes attorney’s fees).
The authors also claim that caps on noneconomic damages and punitive damages, along with other reforms in medical malpractice cases, can lower medical expenditures 5-9% without adverse patient impacts.