The Las Vegas Business Press reports that some area law firms are no longer taking on medical malpractice cases in the wake of legislation enacted in 2002 and updated in 2004 that places caps on malpractice jury awards for non-economic damages.

Translated into plain language, since the lawyers and their clients can no longer win an unlimited judgment, some plaintiffs lawyers are avoiding medical malpractice cases altogether.

"We handle everything in the way of injury and death cases except medical malpractice.  That's a recent development," one lawyer told the newspaper.  "Up until the last few months, we looked at 750 intakes (forms).  (That was) over the last filed years.  Most of the time, we agreed there were damages."

The lawyer estimated that the cost for him to take a malpractice case all the way to court is at least $50,000.  The article was written by Valerie Miller.