An article in Nevada Supreme Court News announced recently that the Nevada Supreme Court will be conducting a settlement program to resolve the crisis of backlogged medical malpractice claims in Clark County. The recent influx of 430 claims stemming from the Hepatitis C outbreak at the Endoscopy Centers of Nevada has made it a critical objective of the Supreme Court to settle the more than 400 medical malpractice claims already pending in Clark County.
Through this program, which is referred to as the "medical malpractice settlement marathon," two-member teams of senior judges will conduct settlement hearings during the month of May. The goal is to conduct eighteen or more conferences each week. Thus far, the response from plaintiffs willing to participate in the program has been great and the Court plans to extend the program into June if enough cases are added to the program.
If the program is successful, the long-term goal will be to conduct such marathons twice a year.