Broward County Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Medical care can go wrong in a way that changes your health, your work, and your day-to-day life. Your medical chart may read like everything went according to plan even when you know it did not, but a medical malpractice case needs proof that clearly shows what should have happened, what happened instead, and how the difference caused harm.
Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel, PLLC fights for our medical malpractice clients through our Broward County location in Plantation, and we have been securing justice on behalf of injured Floridians for nearly 100 years.
Get the Best Medical Malpractice Lawyers Working for You
A medical malpractice case depends on medical proof that links a provider’s mistake to your injury. Charts can span hundreds of pages and multiple providers may touch the same decision, so our lawyers organize the record, obtain the right medical review, and tell you clearly whether the facts support a case.
What You Get When You Hire Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel, PLLC
- Medical malpractice experience: Our lawyers handle malpractice cases, so you get a team that already knows the record issues, the defense tactics, and Florida’s pre-suit rules.
- Qualified medical support: We line up the right specialty review and build the case around medical proof, not opinions about what “should have happened.
- Case resources: We have the staff and funding to obtain records, build the timeline, and carry the costs of a malpractice case when expert work becomes necessary.
- A clear bottom line: You get a direct answer about whether the records support a case, and you get a plan for next steps if the case makes sense.
- Consistent communication: You get clear updates tied to what happened in the case, and you can reach the team when new treatment, new records, or new questions come up.
- Damages planning: We document the full impact of the malpractice injury, including future care needs when treating providers support it, so the case value reflects the whole picture, not just today’s bills.
Start With a Care Map
A malpractice case starts with mapping every place you received care, since one missing facility record can change the story. A care map also helps identify gaps, like a test that got ordered but never completed or follow-up that never happened.
Care map basics
- Facility name and location for each visit or admission, plus the date range.
- Provider names you remember, even partial names help.
- Follow-up providers you saw after the event, with dates.
Paperwork that helps right away
- Discharge paperwork and after-visit summaries.
- Test results you can access through a patient portal.
- Billing statements that show dates of service.
Medical Malpractice Cases Our Broward County Attorneys Handle
Whether the malpractice happened at Broward Health Medical Center, Memorial Regional Hospital, or another provider in Broward or elsewhere in Florida, the case depends on the medical facts and the timing of decisions. Our Florida medical malpractice lawyers have years of experience with every type of medical malpractice case and know how to succeed in even the most complex cases. Below are a few of the common types of cases.
Diagnosis Delays and Missed Red Flags
Delayed diagnosis cases can come from missed imaging, incomplete workups, ignored lab trends, or discharge decisions that did not match symptoms. Records usually show warning signs in the notes, even when later chart entries try to downplay them.
Surgical and Procedure Errors
Surgical cases can stem from technique problems, wrong-site issues, avoidable injuries during a procedure, or post-op monitoring that missed a complication until it became severe. Operative notes, anesthesia records, nursing notes, and post-op vitals can show what happened and when.
Medication and Dosing Errors
Medication cases can arise from the wrong drug, the wrong dose, a dangerous interaction, or lack of monitoring after administration. Orders, allergy lists, medication administration records, and pharmacy logs tend to be central.
Hospital Care and Nursing Care Breakdowns
Inpatient cases can come from failure to monitor, failure to escalate care, delayed consults, and missed deterioration signs. Nursing notes and vital sign trends can carry as much weight as physician notes.
Birth Injury and Pregnancy Care
Pregnancy and delivery cases can result from fetal monitoring problems, delayed response, delivery decisions, and post-delivery care for mother or baby. Timing affects liability, and chart review needs the complete set of records.
No matter what type of case you have or how complex it is, our attorneys know how to fight for justice and the compensation you deserve.
Signs You May Have a Malpractice Case
A bad outcome does not automatically mean malpractice. Certain facts justify a closer look, especially when the record shows delays, missing steps, or a decision that did not match symptoms.
Situations That May Justify a Consultation
- A serious condition got diagnosed late after repeated complaints.
- Symptoms worsened after discharge and you had to return for emergency care.
- A procedure caused a new injury that was not part of the original problem.
- A medication error led to a severe reaction or organ injury.
- A hospital stay included a rapid decline without a clear response in the chart.
Information to Bring to the Consultation
Bring what you have, and do not worry about making it perfect.
- Visit dates, facility names, and the city for each location.
- Any discharge paperwork, after-visit summaries, or printed instructions.
- Portal screenshots or messages that show test results, follow-up instructions, or return precautions.
- The name of the primary doctor who took over after the event, plus the date of the first follow-up visit.
- A simple list of current symptoms or limitations that started after the care at issue, with approximate start dates.
- Any work notes, restrictions, or disability paperwork tied to the injury.
- Bills or explanation-of-benefits statements if you have them, since they help confirm dates and services.
What We Do First After You Hire Us
A malpractice case needs structured work from the start because the record drives everything, and Florida also has specific pre-suit steps for medical negligence cases.
Step 1: Get the Full Chart
We request the complete chart, not a summary, and we also request imaging and labs in the format that supports review. Missing records create defense openings, so we work from a facility list and a provider list until the record set is complete.
Step 2: Build a Timeline Consistent with the Record
Timeline work ties symptoms, orders, results, consults, and decisions to the dates and times shown in the chart. A clear timeline helps medical review and helps explain the case in plain language.
Step 3: Coordinate Qualified Medical Review
A malpractice case needs a qualified medical opinion on standard of care and causation. We coordinate review with the right specialty, then we evaluate whether the record supports medical negligence under Florida’s rules.
Step 4: Build Damages Alongside Medical Review
Damages work runs in parallel. Medical bills and future care needs need documentation, and wage loss needs employer support. A case valuation without records turns into guesswork.
Florida Medical Malpractice Rules That Affect Your Case
Florida medical malpractice cases have requirements that do not apply in a typical negligence case, and Florida’s pre-suit rules affect timing and what gets filed.
Pre-Suit Notice and Medical Review
Florida requires a pre-suit process for medical negligence cases. A case usually requires a good faith investigation and a written medical expert opinion that supports the allegation, and the process also requires serving a notice of intent before suit. After notice gets served, Florida requires a waiting period before filing suit, and the defendant side gets a defined period to review the case during that time. (Florida Statutes Chapter 766 covers the pre-suit process.)
A consultation should cover how that process applies to your care setting, which providers belong on the notice, and what records the medical reviewer needs to give an opinion.
Florida’s Statute of Limitations for Medical Malpractice
Florida’s medical malpractice statute of limitations generally gives two years to bring a medical negligence action, and the clock can start when the injury gets discovered. Florida also has a four-year statute of repose that can bar a case even when discovery happens later. Florida law allows limited extensions for fraud, concealment, or intentional misrepresentation, and the outside limit can reach seven years in that situation, with separate timing rules for minors. (Florida Statutes section 95.11(4)(b) addresses these time limits.)
Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel, PLLC confirms the correct deadline for your facts at intake and tracks it through the case, so you do not lose the option to file suit if the defense side refuses to resolve the case on reasonable terms.
Damages Our Attorneys Fight For in Medical Malpractice Cases
A medical malpractice case should cover the losses you already faced and the losses tied to future care when the medical record supports them.
Medical Bills and Future Treatment
Medical costs can cover hospital care, surgery, medication, rehab, therapy, follow-up care, and additional procedures tied to the malpractice injury. Future care can also be part of the case when treating providers document a continuing care plan.
Lost Income and Work Limits
Lost income can come from missed work, reduced hours, or a job change caused by physical or cognitive limits. Wage proof works best when it matches time missed and restrictions, and when employer records explain job duties and pay structure.
Disability and Daily Life Impact
Medical malpractice injuries can change mobility, strength, cognitive function, independence, and pain level. Documentation should connect those changes to treatment dates and treating-provider notes, and it should describe specific limits rather than broad statements.
Evidence Our Attorneys Use to Build a Broward Medical Malpractice Case
- Complete Chart: Hospital records, physician notes, nursing notes, orders, medication administration records, labs, imaging reports, and the underlying imaging when imaging drives decisions.
- Provider List: Names and roles for each provider involved in key decisions, since multiple teams can touch the same issue.
- Timeline Proof: Date-and-time details that show symptoms, orders, results, consults, and decisions, since timing usually determines liability.
- Follow-Up Records: Records from treating providers after the event, since those notes can document what changed and what care is now needed.
- Wage Proof: Pay records and employer documentation that matches missed time and restrictions.
- Life Impact Notes: Dated notes that describe specific limits tied to the injury and tied to treatment milestones.
Attorney Fees and Costs
People usually want clarity on fees and costs before committing to a malpractice case, especially because malpractice cases require record work and medical review.
Contingency Fee Basics
A contingency fee means attorney fees come out of the amount recovered, not out of your pocket month to month. If there is no recovery, you do not pay attorney fees. Fee terms go in writing, and you get a chance to ask questions before signing.
Case Costs
Separate from attorney fees, a malpractice case can have costs tied to records, imaging, and medical review. A lawsuit can add costs like filing fees, deposition expenses, and expert costs, and we discuss cost expectations before the case takes that path.
Medical Bills and Liens
Medical billing can keep running while the case is pending, and settlement discussions usually need to account for medical balances and lien claims. We track bills and lien issues during the case, then we address them during settlement discussions so the final numbers make sense.
Let Us Fight for Justice and the Compensation You Deserve
After an initial conversation to determine if you may have a case, we schedule a more detailed consultation to go through what happened, your treatment, and the issues that can affect value. Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel, PLLC fights for compensation that accounts for your losses today and any future care needs tied to the malpractice injury.
Call our Broward County office in Plantation at (954) 495-2715 to get started.
