In medicine, we hear a lot about preventative care.   In matters of asset protection, doctors would do well to follow their own advice.  Physicians should prevent their assets from becoming vulnerable to a frivolous lawsuit.  Being sued leaves much more at risk than a medical practice. Injured parties are seeking compensation for injuries received and in many cases a civil action against the physician to prevent further malpractice by the medical professional. Personal assets of the physicians are always looked at as a possible means of receiving compensation.

Personal assets come into play in one of two ways:

• If a judgment exceeds your medical policy limit
• If the action in question falls under one of the policy exclusions Click here to read more »

Q: What is a frivolous lawsuit?

A: It’s a lawsuit that is brought by a plaintiff who knows that it has no legal merit.

Q: Why do people file frivolous lawsuits?

A: Bottom line is to get money!  However other underlying reason is that people simply do not want to take responsibility for their own actions. Remember the lady who sued because she was burned from McDonald’s hot coffee?  While that lawsuit is one of the more famous, there are similar lawsuits cropping up every day:

• Lottery winners sued by non-participating co-worker
• Lawyers sue on behalf of shareholders that don’t own shares
• Unpaid interns sue studio for wages
• Obese man sues burger joint over tight squeeze in booths

Q: So what can I do to protect myself against frivolous lawsuits?

A: First off, keep in mind that everyone is vulnerable of being sued–not only corporations.  Whether you are rich or poor, old or young, friend or neighbor, co-worker or family, people are suing each other like crazy for crazy reasons.  These frivolous lawsuits cause a variety of problems such as:

• Increasing the price of products and services
• Increasing the price of insurance
• Wasting the legal system’s resources
• Rewarding people for not being responsible for their own actions
• Forcing innocent people to spend money on a legal defense

Even if a lawsuit defendant prevails in court, an individual may spend a significant amount of money on attorney’s fees, court fees, etc. to defend themselves. That being said, you have to have a plan in place to protect yourself and your assets from this vulnerability.  Check out www.XINSURANCE.COM for information on how you can get this protection.