How much can you sue for medical malpractice in Texas?

Asked by: Felix Weimann  |  Last update: September 29, 2025
Score: 4.5/5 (37 votes)

The Texas Medical Malpractice and Tort Reform Act severely restricts that amount of damages that medical malpractice victims can obtain for pain and suffering. Non-economic damages against all doctors and health care providers capped at $250,000. Non-economic damages against health care facilities capped at $500,000.

What is the average settlement for a medical malpractice lawsuit in Texas?

A jury can award any amount for economic damages. Therefore, the average medical malpractice settlement is somewhere between the person's economic damages and $250,000 above that amount.

What is the maximum for medical malpractice in Texas?

Texas has a cap on non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. The cap is $250,000 for healthcare providers and $500,000 for hospitals. We'll explain how this cap works and how it can impact your compensation.

Is it worth suing for medical malpractice?

In order to make a medical malpractice case worthwhile to pursue, the case should have approximately $125,000 to $150,000 in provable damages. Since only allows the recovery of compensatory damages, a patient must have a serious and permanent injury to justify proceeding with a medical malpractice case.

Is it hard to prove medical malpractice in Texas?

Proving medical malpractice is a difficult and nuanced process that requires the expertise of a seasoned attorney. If you've sustained an injury or illness due to the negligence or error of a medical professional, our firm can help you pursue damages via an insurance claim or lawsuit.

Can you still bring a medical malpractice claim in Texas? | Frank Lyle

21 related questions found

What are the odds of winning a medical malpractice lawsuit?

According to a study from the National Library of Medicine, the defendant tends to win 80% to 90% of jury trials that have weak evidence of medical negligence, 70% of jury trials in borderline cases, and 50% of cases with strong evidence of medical negligence.

Is there a cap on malpractice payout in Texas?

The size of the cap depends on whom the plaintiff is suing. Each plaintiff may recover: $250,000 in noneconomic damages from any single health care institution (such as a hospital), but no more than $500,000 from all health care institutions named as defendants in the case.

How much are most medical malpractice settlements?

The median- as opposed to the average – value of a medical malpractice settlement is $250,000. The average jury verdict in malpractice cases won by the plaintiff is just over $1 million.

How to win a medical malpractice suit?

To win a medical malpractice lawsuit, you must convince the jury that your doctor failed to meet the accepted standard of care and that failure caused you injury. This is a complicated process that requires a team of lawyers with significant skill, experience, and expertise.

Does malpractice claim ruin a career?

The primary risk of a medical malpractice lawsuit to your career comes from the impact on your professional standing and practice. For starters, it can tarnish your reputation. You may not be found liable, but the mere fact of being sued can negatively influence how patients, colleagues and employers view you.

How do you win a medical malpractice case in Texas?

In addition, for a medical malpractice lawsuit to hold, the following elements must be true:
  1. The defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care.
  2. The defendant breached the duty of care.
  3. The breached duty of care proximately caused the harm or damage sustained by the plaintiff.

Who is the best medical malpractice lawyer in Texas?

The Hastings Law Firm is recognized as a leader in Texas medical malpractice cases. Our founder, Tommy Hastings, is a Board-Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer with decades of experience fighting for justice on behalf of injured patients.

What is the most common medical malpractice?

8 Most Common Types Of Medical Malpractice Cases
  1. Misdiagnosis. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis is very common. ...
  2. Delayed Diagnosis. The same is true of delayed diagnosis. ...
  3. Surgical Errors. ...
  4. Failure To Treat. ...
  5. Birth Injuries. ...
  6. Prescription Drug Errors. ...
  7. Anesthesia Errors. ...
  8. Failure To Prevent Or Treat Infections.

Do most malpractice cases settle?

Department of Justice statistics note that 7% of medical malpractice cases end in a trial, so the others either drop their claims or settle. Although, 95% of personal injury claims settle before trial. Settlements do not become part of the public record, while a judgment in a court case is a public record.

What is an example of a pain and suffering settlement in Texas?

The more severe the pain and suffering, the higher the multiplier. Finally, multiply the multiplier by the economic damages to come up with a figure for pain and suffering. Suppose your economic damages are $80,000, and your multiplier is 3. That adds up to $240,000 for pain and suffering damages alone.

How long after a demand letter does a settlement take in Texas?

No uniform timeframe exists between sending the demand letter and arriving at a settlement. In addition to the insurance company's review, there will be negotiations between the insurance company and your attorney, and those can take a long time. You can count on the process taking more than two months.

Is medical malpractice hard to win?

Winning a medical malpractice claim can prove very difficult. However, that does not mean that you cannot win. If you suffered a serious injury due to the negligence of a medical care provider, you deserve compensation for those losses.

Why is it hard to sue a doctor in Texas?

Texas law has made medical malpractice cases very difficult and expensive to litigate and the caps on compensation mean that it can often cost more to pursue a case than you can receive in damages. These cases also require costly expert review and testimony from medical professionals and many hours of deposition.

What happens if you lose a malpractice case?

What Happens If You Lose a Malpractice Case? If you lose your medical malpractice case, there is a chance that you will have to pay the defendant's legal bills. This can be a big financial strain on you, the plaintiff. However, if you do lose, there is the potential to appeal the decision.

What percentage of malpractice suits are successful?

Here's what the statistics typically show: Weak Evidence Cases: Physicians prevail in 80 to 90 percent of these trials. Borderline Cases: Approximately 70 percent end in favor of healthcare providers. Strong Evidence Cases: These cases see a more balanced outcome at about 50-50.

What's the average legal malpractice settlement amount?

Attorneys may purchase policies with coverage limits as high as $10 million. The average legal malpractice settlement or verdict is nearing $300,000. If your attorney costs you money, they can be liable to pay for it. The last thing that they want is for you to go after their personal assets.

How much can you sue a doctor for malpractice in Texas?

The Texas Medical Malpractice and Tort Reform Act severely restricts that amount of damages that medical malpractice victims can obtain for pain and suffering. Non-economic damages against all doctors and health care providers capped at $250,000. Non-economic damages against health care facilities capped at $500,000.

What is the largest medical malpractice settlement?

The largest medical malpractice settlement in the United States so far has been the $261 million verdict in the "Take Care of Maya" case against Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital for its mismanagement and mistreatment of a young patient.

What is punitive loss?

Punitive damages are considered punishment and are typically awarded at the court's discretion when the defendant's behavior is found to be especially harmful. Punitive damages are normally not awarded in the context of a breach of contract claim.