Court Loosens Rules On Malpractice Cases

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s highest court is reversing its own two-decade-old rule that required medical malpractice cases to be filed in the county where the alleged harm occurred.  The rule change announced Thursday is a win for civil plaintiffs and the lawyers who represent them, but medical providers are worried it will cost them dearly.  The decision by the state Supreme Court means the number of such lawsuits is likely to increase in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, where jurors are considered to be more sympathetic to patients and more likely to produce larger verdicts.