Ohio Justices Clarify How to Add Defendants in Malpractice Cases

An Ohio law giving medical malpractice plaintiffs an extra six months to include previously-unknown parties in their lawsuit also applies to unidentified defendants, the state Supreme Court said Thursday.

The unanimous ruling clarifies a law spelling out the 180-day extension to amend a complaint after a statute of limitation has expired. That grace period applies to parties added because a plaintiff didn’t originally know they were involved and defendants “contemplated” in the original complaint but not officially sued because the plaintiff didn’t know their identity.

That extension applies to the addition of so-called “additional defendants,” which Dr. Anand Patel and ...