Abstract

Objectives: To analyze the lawsuits in the area of Obstetrics in the Court of Justice of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Methods: A search by keyword was carried out on the website of the Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro with the search term “obstetrics”, for lawsuits decisions rendered from 1/1/2000 until 12/31/2015. We selected only those civil liability lawsuits in which the obstetrician physician was on the passive pole. We found 99 cases in total for the period.

Results: Most of the cases were unfounded. It is important to emphasize the importance of medical experts as an adviser of the magistrate, who is not attached to it’s opinion. There has been much discussion about the technical capacity of the experts.

Conclusion: There is a need for more studies contemplating the analysis of judicial lawsuits on the medical topic. It is essential that medical schools approach this area.

Keywords: Medical Law; Liability; Medical Liability; Medicine; Law