Wisconsin Court Finds Medical Malpractice Damages Cap Unconstitutional

On July 5, 2017, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirmed a Wisconsin circuit court decision finding that Wisconsin’s statutory $750,000 cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice actions is “facially unconstitutional.” Mayo v. Wisconsin Injured Patients & Families Compensation Fund, No. 2014AP2812, 2017 WL 2874614 (Wis. Ct. App. July 5, 2017). The appellate court found that the medical malpractice damages cap established by Wis. Stat. § 893.55 denied equal protection under the law by imposing “unfair and illogical burdens only on catastrophically injured patients.” Mayo, 2017 WL 2874614 (emphasis added).