Wisconsin governor vetoes malpractice award-cap bill News
Wisconsin governor vetoes malpractice award-cap bill

[JURIST] Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle [official website] Friday vetoed legislation that would have capped the amount of money victims in medical malpractice lawsuits could be awarded for pain and suffering at $450,000 for adults and $550,000 for minors. Doyle said in a press statement that the adult cap was just $5,000 more than that set in previous Wisconsin legislation struck down [opinion text] in July by the Wisconsin Supreme Court [official website] because it implicated equal protection violations. Legislators had justified the measure as a means of addressing skyrocketing health insurance rates. Assembly Speaker John Gard (R) [official website] said he would try to gain the necessary support from the Republican-controlled legislature to override the veto. AP has more.