IN A MED MAL ACTION PLAINTIFF’S EXPERT NEED NOT HAVE PRACTICED IN THE SAME SPECIALTY AS DEFENDANT DOCTOR TO BE QUALIFIED TO OFFER EXPERT OPINION EVIDENCE (FOURTH DEPT). ​

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff’s expert laid an adequate foundation for their qualifications in orthopedic medicine. The court noted that plaintiff’s expert need not have practiced in the same specialty as the defendant:

“[A] plaintiff’s expert need not have practiced in the same specialty as the defendant[]” … , and “any alleged lack of knowledge in a particular area of expertise goes to the weight and not the admissibility of the testimony” … . Here, plaintiffs’ expert is board certified as a medical examiner, an orthopedic surgeon and an arthroscopic laser surgeon. The expert completed a residency in general and orthopedic surgery. The expert is now a clinical instructor of orthopedic surgery and a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery. The expert is affiliated with four hospitals and previously served as the chair of the department of orthopedic surgery at one hospital. Thus, we conclude that plaintiffs’ expert “had the requisite skill, training, education, knowledge or experience from which it can be assumed that [the expert’s] opinion[ ] . . . [is] reliable” … . McMahon-DeCarlo v Wickline, 2024 NY Slip Op 00730, Fourth Dept 2-9-24

Practice Point: Although plaintiff’s expert had not practiced in the same specialty as defendant doctor in this med mal action, plaintiff’s expert was qualified to offer reliable expert opinion evidence.