Can Multiple Doctors Be Held Liable for Medical Malpractice in New York?

When medical care goes wrong, responsibility is not always limited to a single provider. In complex cases involving delayed diagnosis, surgical errors, or birth injuries, more than one doctor may have contributed to the harm. Patients in White Plains and throughout Westchester County often ask a White Plains medical malpractice lawyer or Westchester County medical malpractice attorney whether multiple providers can be held accountable in the same case.

You can sue multiple doctors for medical malpractice in New York when more than one provider violated the accepted standard of care and contributed to the injury. Each claim depends on the specific facts, the role of each provider, and how their decisions affected the outcome.

When Multiple Doctors May Be Legally Responsible

Medical care often involves a team of providers, including primary care physicians, specialists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, and hospital staff. When something goes wrong, liability does not automatically fall on a single individual. Each provider’s conduct is evaluated separately. Examples where multiple doctors may be involved include:

• A primary care doctor fails to diagnose a condition and a specialist later misinterprets test results.
• A surgeon performs a procedure incorrectly and a postoperative physician fails to recognize complications.
• An obstetrician mishandles labor while an anesthesiologist administers improper medication.
• A radiologist overlooks abnormalities and the treating physician fails to act on the report.

If more than one provider deviated from accepted medical standards and those deviations caused harm, each may be named in a malpractice claim.

How Liability Is Determined for Each Provider

New York law does not assign responsibility based on job title or seniority. Each provider must be shown to have:

• Owed a duty of care to the patient.
• Violated the medical standard of care.
• Caused or contributed to the injury.
• Resulted in measurable damages.

A provider may be held liable even if their conduct was only one part of a chain of events that led to injury.

Joint and Several Liability in New York

New York applies a modified form of joint and several liability. When multiple defendants (at-fault parties) are found responsible, each is generally liable for their proportionate share of damages. In certain circumstances, a defendant who bears significant fault may be required to cover additional damages if other defendants cannot. This structure allows injured patients to recover compensation even when responsibility is divided among multiple providers.

Hospitals and Group Practices as Defendants

In addition to individual doctors, hospitals and medical practices may also be named as defendants. A hospital may be liable for:

• Negligence of employed physicians or staff.
• Failure to supervise or train providers.
• Inadequate policies or staffing.
• Systemic breakdowns in patient care.

Many malpractice cases involve both individual doctors and healthcare institutions.

When a Doctor May Not Be Liable

Not every provider involved in treatment is automatically responsible. A doctor who followed accepted medical standards may not be liable even if another provider made a mistake.

For example, a consulting physician who gave appropriate recommendations may not be responsible if another provider failed to follow them.

Procedural Requirements in Multi-Defendant Cases

Claims involving multiple providers require careful legal and medical analysis. Each defendant must be supported by medical review and a certificate of merit addressing their specific role. Medical records are examined to determine:

• Who made each medical decision.
• When those decisions occurred.
• Whether proper communication took place.
• How each action affected the outcome.

This process helps identify which providers should be included in the claim.