Wisconsin reaffirms that criminal defendants must show actual innocence to support malpractice claim against former defense counsel

Long time readers of this blog may remember that I have posted many stories commenting on the fact that many (probably most) jurisdictions require former criminal defendants to prove actual innocence as a requirement to support malpractice claims against their criminal defense counsel.  In recent years, a number of jurisdictions have rejected this notion, but it still seems to be the majority approach.

I am writing about this again today to report that earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin reaffirmed its position on this in a case called Skindzelewski v. Smith, which you can read here.

Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds validity of cap on non-economic damages

As the TortsProf blog recently reported, the Wisconsin Supreme Court recently held that the state's cap of $750,000 on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases is constitutional. 

The plaintiff in the case lost her arms and legs as a result of a medical error and the jury determined that her pain, suffering, and disfigurement had a value of $16.5 million.  However, Wisconsin’s highest court deferred to legislation limiting such awards to a maximum of $750,000 in all cases, regardless of the severity of the injuries.

In a dissenting opinion, two justices argued that the cap had a perverse effect on plaintiffs because only those with the most catastrophic injuries will be denied a full and fair damages award and it "makes no sense that those who are injured most get the least.”

You can read the entire opinion here.

Wisconsin Supreme Court to decide whether the state's cap on non-economic damages in med mal cases is unconstitutional

The TortsProf blog is reporting that the Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case on appeal from a decision of the state's appellate court which declared the state's cap on non-economic damages unconstitutional.  The case involves a medical malpractice claim which resulted in a jury verdict for the plaintiff.  The jury determined that the health care providers were responsible and awarded $25.3 million. The non-economic damages portion of the award was approximately $16.5 million.  Wisconsin has a cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases of $750,000. The trial judge ruled the cap was unconstitutional as applied to the plaintiff's case. The intermediate appellate court affirmed and went further because it ruled that the the cap was unconstitutional per se (not just "as applied.")  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the story.

Appeals Court in Wisconsin finds med mal cap unconstitutional

The intermediate appeals court in Wisconsin has ruled that the state's $750,000 cap for non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases is unconstitutional.  The TortsProf blog has a summary of the court's conclusion here.