# Nevada Law Caps Med Mal Awards 

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Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn signed into law Wednesday a bill designed to limit jury awards and bring relief to the state‘s medical malpractice crisis.

The law, which takes effect Oct. 1, caps pain-and-suffering ("non-economic damages") awards at $350,000. The cap can be waived if either a jury finds gross negligence or a judge finds "clear and convincing" evidence warranting a higher award, reported the Alliance of American Insurers, of Downers Grove, Ill.

The statute also caps liability for physicians and hospital employees for the treatment of a trauma in a nonprofit or governmental hospital facility at $50,000 for civil damages. The statute defines "traumatic injury" as "any acute injury that, according to the standardized criteria for triage in the field, involves a significant risk of death or the precipitation of complications or disabilities."

Sources:
- National Underwriter (http://www.nationalunderwriter.com/pandc/hotnews/viewPC.asp?article=8_8_02_15_6149.xml)