J. Michael Doyle is a Principal in the Firm's Professional Liability Defense Practice Group, where he focuses his practice on the defense of medical and legal malpractice matters. Mr. Doyle is a veteran trial lawyer, trying nearly 100 cases to verdict, most of them in the jurisdiction of Philadelphia County, and often involving high exposure, complex matters.
He has experience in all aspects of civil litigation, with a primary emphasis on defending hospitals, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, hospices, and doctors in medical malpractice cases. He also represents lawyers in legal malpractice cases and has successfully argued cases before all levels of Courts in Pennsylvania, including the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Mr. Doyle is well-versed in various Federal and State regulations and State Surveys and has a high degree of familiarity with the Office of the Inspector General.
Mr. Doyle has developed and delivered numerous educational programs for clients including presentations to nursing home and hospital staff about risk management intervention, documentation, pressure ulcers, and issues seen in litigation.
He oversees a pro-bono legal medical education program offered to emergency medicine resident physicians in training in their third-year. The Physician Education Program is accredited through their hospital as a third-year elective and offers resident physicians an inside look at how medical malpractice matters and trials are structured, including trial preparation, discovery, depositions, and witness interviews.
From 2013 - 2022, Mr. Doyle has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer by his peers. The Best Lawyers in America©, a peer-reviewed publication, selected Mr. Doyle for inclusion in its 2020 Edition in the category of Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants. For information about these selections and an overview of common third-party publications, rankings, and lists methodologies, click here.
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- Secured a jury verdict for an orthopedic surgeon and his resident.
The case involved alleged negligent post-operative care following a bilateral hip replacement. The plaintiff contended that the physicians prescribed too much Coumadin following the procedure, and that due to the patient’s compromised liver function, he ultimately bled to death following bilateral hip replacement surgery. The defendant physicians claimed that the patient had a unique or idiosyncratic reaction to the medication, and the jury ultimately agreed, finding in favor of both physicians.
- Obtained a defense award in binding arbitration for an obstetrician and his resident.
The case involved a stillborn baby and a mother’s claim when she presented to the hospital, she had chorioamnionitis, and that the defendant physician should have then performed an immediate cesarean section that would have led to the successful delivery of the viable infant. The two physicians countered by claiming that they could not establish such a diagnosis, and because the birth was premature, they did not want to risk a delivery in the absence of more concrete evidence of such an infection. The arbitrator ultimately found in favor of both physicians.
- Secured defense verdict for large, regional hospital.
Case involved an elderly patient who had hip replacement surgery and was transferred from a hospital to a nursing home. The nursing home staff claimed that the patient arrived with sacral ulcers that allegedly developed at the hospital. Successfully established that due to the nature of the ulcers, they were actually incurred in transit due to sheering forces while being moved by the ambulance company. A defense verdict was secured for the hospital.
- Secured defense awards in binding arbitrations for health care facilities.
Arbitrated numerous matters for health care facilities where a patient has fallen. By utilizing high-level experts, including geriatricians, has taken multiple cases to binding Arbitrations in Philadelphia County, resulting in defense awards.
- Secured defense verdict for attorney accused of legal malpractice.
Represented a defendant attorney in a legal malpractice case involving accusation of suing the wrong parties for medical malpractice on behalf of the client. Successfully proved that there was no basis for legal malpractice in absence of a valid medical malpractice case.
- Presenter, “Litigation for Nurses 101: How to Partner with the Hospital and its Attorney for a Successful Outcome for All,” Approved for CNE Credits, Temple Nursing, Monthly Grand Rounds, Philadelphia, PA (July 7, 2015)
- Presenter, “Litigation for Nurses 101: How to Partner with the Hospital and its Attorney for a Successful Outcome for All," Approved for CNE Credits, Saint Mary Medical Center, Langhorne, PA (July 7, 2014)
- Presenter, "Communication: How basic principles can increase patient safety, improve outcomes, and reduce litigation," Approved for CME Credits, Physician Audience, Saint Mary Medical Center, Langhorne, PA (June 23, 2014)
- Presenter, "Medical-Legal Issues in Long-Term Care: Lessons Learned at Trial," Willowcrest/Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA (August 2, 2013)
- Presenter, "When the Jury Checks 'Yes' on Agency," Ninth Annual Tenet Defense Counsel Meeting, San Antonio, TX (April 5-7 2006)
- Presenter, "Cross-Examining the Well-Traveled Expert," Eighth Annual Tenet Defense Counsel Meeting, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (April 2005)
- Presenter, "The Fair Share Act," Philadelphia Law Department's CLE Seminar (July 20, 2012)
