If a doctor is sued for malpractice, they will usually be sued in the county where they live or practice. You should find the courthouse for any city or county where the doctor has practiced in the past. A record will exist of any malpractice lawsuit filed.For example, a doctor might have practiced in Chicago. You will want the Cook County courthouse, which is where most lawsuits would be filed.
If you don’t know the counties, then visit the website for the state’s Supreme Court. They should have a locator function that will help you find the right court.
Doctors can also be sued in federal court. However, it is very easy to search all federal court records, because they are collected in the PACER database.
 Many courts make their records available online. Type in the county and then “court records” into a web browser to check. You might also visit the county government’s website and look for a link to the courts.


Generally, you can search by the names of the parties to the lawsuit.
If the documents are available electronically, then you can often print off copies or download PDF documents. You might have to pay a fee to do so.
 You might not be able to get copies of the documents online. If not, then you’ll need to stop into the courthouse and ask the court clerk to see the file. Court documents are public records, so you should be able to access anything filed in the case. The court clerk will probably require that you sign a check-out form.


There should be a public access terminal you can use to look up cases.Search by the doctor’s name and then write down the case number. The clerk will need the case number to find the file.
You might need to pay for copying. The amount will vary by courthouse but could be around $0.25 per page.
If you don't live near the courthouse, then call the clerk and ask how you can access records. You might not be able to travel to find the documents in person.
You could hire a lawyer or paralegal to go to the courthouse for you and get copies of any case file. You can find lawyers and paralegals online. Call up and ask if they can help you find court documents. Also ask how much they charge.
 Many federal court documents are available at the PACER website: https://www.pacer.gov/. You will need a PACER account to search for records. To register, provide personal information, such as your name, address, and contact information.Use the PACER Case Locator to search. This is a national index of all federal courts.
You can search by the doctor’s name. A list of cases will pull up and you should click through all of them to see if any are malpractice lawsuits.
You must pay a fee of $0.10 per page to access a case document. The maximum you can be charged is for thirty pages ($3.00). However, you won’t have to pay any fees until you reach $15 in charges for a quarterly billing cycle., PACER documents are somewhat incomplete before 1999. Accordingly, you will need to contact the federal district court directly if you want to find older court documents.


You can find the correct federal court to contact by using the court locator here: http://www.uscourts.gov/court-locator. Click on “District” under “Court Type” and then type in the city or zip where the doctor practiced.
Call the district court and talk to the clerk.Each court will have different procedures for searching through their court documents.
 Remember that anyone can sue for anything. That doesn’t mean a lawsuit is valid. Check the case file to see whether the patient won the case or if it settled. In some situations, the case might be thrown out because it lacked merit.Doctors are often sued for faulty diagnoses, drug errors, unnecessary surgery, premature discharge, or inappropriate treatment.
If the case was dismissed, there should be a notation stating a “Motion to Dismiss” or a “Motion for Summary Judgment” was granted.
Find the courthouse.
Search for state court records online.
Stop by the courthouse.
Look for lawsuits in PACER.
Find earlier federal court documents.
Analyze the lawsuit.
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