Texas doctor can't be sued in New Mexico, court rules
A former Texas Tech University surgeon accused of botching a Curry County womans gastric bypass surgery in 2004 cant be sued for malpractice in New Mexico, the state Supreme Court has ruled.
The states high court issued its decision Monday.
We reverse the Court of Appeals and the district court, Justice Edward L. Chávez wrote in his majority opinion, which was signed onto by Justices Petra Jimenez Maes and Judith K. Nakamura and Judge Linda M. Vanzi, a Court of Appeals judge designated to hear the case. The district court shall dismiss Montaños suit without prejudice.
The case has garnered significant attention in both New Mexico and Texas, with three dozen doctor groups and hospitals in both states signing on to a friend of the court brief in 2015. They argued that allowing the lawsuit to move forward could have a disastrous effect on patient care in eastern New Mexico where doctors are scarce because it might make Texas providers reluctant to care for New Mexico patients.
Read more: https://www.abqjournal.com/968337/texas-doctor-cant-be-sued-in-nm-court-rules.html