Why are medical experts hired out-of-state?

Video Transcript

In medical malpractice cases, we, as plaintiffs attorneys, those who represent the harmed individual or that family, have to go out of state to get our experts. Experts are required under Alabama law to bring a medical malpractice case, but because doctors and other health care providers in the state don’t want to testify against another doctor or healthcare provider in the state, we as plaintiffs attorneys have to go outside of the state.

So a lot of times juries will question whether or not or question why we had to go to Michigan to find a qualified expert versus getting someone from UAB Hospital down the street. And the reason is because, naturally, doctors don’t want to testify against their friends who are doctors or other health care providers. Nurses don’t want to testify against people they’re going to see day in and day out.