FBMJ Attorneys Present to Emergency Medicine Providers on Medical Malpractice
On April 9, 2026, FBMJ attorneys Brian Whitelaw and Sarah Cherry presented a number of medical-legal issues to emergency medicine residents, medical students, and attending physicians at Ascension St. John Hospital Detroit in Detroit, Michigan.
Emergency medicine physicians are among the most frequently named providers in medical malpractice lawsuits. Studies show that over 75% of emergency medicine physicians will be named in a medical malpractice claim at some point in their careers.
During their presentation, Brian and Sarah provided residents with information about medical malpractice lawsuits across the country. They also discussed the anatomy of a medical malpractice lawsuit, as well as current trends driving nuclear verdicts, including economic and social inflation, reptile theory, and other social and legal factors.
They further addressed how emergency medicine physicians can protect themselves through effective medical charting and how to handle difficult patients and challenging scenarios. Throughout the presentation, they used examples from actual cases and trials to demonstrate that even excellent medical care and thorough documentation can still result in being named as a defendant in a malpractice case.
Brian and Sarah defend a significant number of emergency medicine lawsuits each year and have successfully obtained numerous dismissals and defense verdicts on behalf of their clients.