Causation in Medical Malpractice Cases: A Quarter-Century Review

Source: The Verdict – Issue 188 / Spring 2026
Author: Jessica Kim, Pacific Medical Law
The Verdict Spring 2026

This is the sixth article of our series discussing practical and evidentiary issues in medical malpractice. Each article will examine recent medical malpractice case law and focus on the practical and evidentiary issues within them. The goal is to provide some useful insight into the obstacles that occurred in hopes that future cases can adapt and develop new ways to overcome these challenges. In this article, Jessica Kim provides a chronological overview of the evolution of the law on causation in medical malpractice cases in the last quarter-century.

Share this article

Publications

Recent Publications

Causation in Medical Malpractice Cases: A Quarter-Century Review

The Duty to Warn – When Can a Physician Breach Patient Confidentiality to Protect a Third party?

Ontario Reforms Spark Medical Malpractice Backlash

Digital Scribes, Legal Signatures: AI-Generated Records in Medical Malpractice

Caught on Camera: The Impact of Photo and Video Evidence in Surgical Negligence Cases

Defining the Standard of Care: When Will a Generalist be Held to a Standard Approaching that of a Specialist?

The Impact of Contemporaneous Medical Records on Credibility Disputes

Care Planning in Medical Malpractice: Making the Case for In-Home Care