Doctors For The Defense: Medical Opinions For Hire
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I represent plaintiffs. Plaintiffs are people injured due to the negligent conduct of others. Whether it is an auto crash, a fall down steps without a handrail, or an injury caused by a defective product, plaintiffs require medical treatment to help them heal.
At trial we call these treating specialists to testify about the plaintiff’s injuries and how these injuries will affect their life. This is often compelling testimony describing painful surgery, injections, and permanent injuries.
On the other side of the case is the growing use of professional medical witnesses. They are hired by the insurance companies for the sole purpose of trying to reduce or eliminate compensation to the plaintiff. These doctors make hundreds of thousands of dollars each year testifying for the wrongdoer against the injured plaintiff. These defense doctors are not hired to try to help the plaintiff get well, but rather to destroy their claims and cut off any medical payments by the wrongdoer.
In Ohio, the insurance defense attorney has the right to call any doctor in the area to examine and testify against the plaintiff. Instead of calling a reputable specialist they call one of their professional witnesses. These doctors will conduct one 15 minute examination of the plaintiff then prepare elaborate reports of mostly fiction in the guise of medical opinion. At trial these defense doctors put on their white coat, describe their medical credentials, then give whatever opinions the insurance company requires, whether it is true or not. These are simply medical opinions for hire.
If you every have a chance to serve on a jury in a civil case watch for the defense doctor. Question the validity of their opinions compared with the treating doctor. How can a doctor who sees a person one time, and is hired by the defense, be anywhere near as credible as the treating doctor that sees and cares for his patient over many months? The defense doctor is not credible. They present nothing more than medical opinions for hire.