No Malpractice In Negotiated Disposition Of Medical Disciplinary Charges

The New York Appellate Division for the Second Judicial Department reversed a trial court order and dismissed a legal malpractice case on these facts

The defendants represented the plaintiff, a physician, in a disciplinary proceeding commenced against him by the State Board for Professional Medical Conduct. Although the plaintiff faced potential revocation of his license, the defendants negotiated a settlement offer, whereby the plaintiff would be placed on probation for a period of three years with certain restrictions on his practice. Upon consultation with the defendants, the plaintiff accepted the settlement offer and entered into a consent agreement. The consent agreement was entered into with the informal understanding that the plaintiff could apply to have certain restrictions removed after one year. After complying with the consent agreement for approximately one year, the plaintiff retained new counsel and successfully obtained removal of certain restrictions in the consent agreement. The plaintiff subsequently commenced this action against the defendants, alleging legal malpractice, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty…

Here, the defendants established their prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by demonstrating that they exercised the ordinary reasonable skill and knowledge commonly possessed by a member of the legal profession in their representation of the plaintiff, and, in any event, that any alleged breach was not the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s damages.

(Mike Frisch)