Puerto Rico Law Immunity Provision Clarified by First Circuit

Doctors who worked at a public hospital in Puerto Rico in the 2010s are immune from liability for medical malpractice, but a private company that managed the facility during that time can’t take advantage of a damages cap, the First Circuit said.

The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit clarified the scope of Puerto Rico law in two separate opinions growing out of medical malpractice suits that arose from occurrences in 2010 and 2013.

The issue was complicated by the fact that immunity provision—Article 41.050 of the Puerto Rico Insurance Code—had been amended several times over the years ...