Robins Kaplan LLP

Rule Changes

Plaintiffs' firm analyzing decision impact

For decades, more than half of U.S. states required injured patients to obtain expert affidavits before filing medical malpractice lawsuits—a screening mechanism designed to filter frivolous claims. On January 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that these state requirements don't apply when patients sue in federal court, creating a procedural pathway that bypasses state tort reform measures.

Updated Jan 21