David Changstrom

About David Changstrom

David Changstrom is an associate in the Firm’s Litigation Department and represents individuals, partnerships, and corporations in cases that involve general business and commercial disputes, product liability, and professional malpractice.

18 May, 2023

Nebraska Supreme Court Clarifies Summary Judgment Procedure, Likely Relaxes Defendant Physicians’ Burden

2023-05-18T10:03:00-05:00May 18th, 2023|LDM MedMal Forum|

  In Clark v. Scheels All Sports, Inc., 314 Neb. 49 (2023), the Nebraska Supreme Court hinted a longstanding paradigm that governed summary judgment procedure in medical malpractice actions is likely no more. Before Clark, a defendant physician could prevail on summary judgment by preparing and submitting an affidavit that vouched for her or his care, after which the burden of proof shifted to the plaintiff to advance expert [...]

29 Mar, 2023

Iowa Supreme Court Resolves Ambiguity in the State’s Certificate of Merit Statute

2023-03-29T14:40:07-05:00March 29th, 2023|LDM MedMal Forum|

  Just under six years have passed since Iowa enacted its medical malpractice certificate of merit requirement, codified at Iowa Code § 147.140.  Iowa practitioners have paid close attention during these years as the Iowa Supreme Court and Iowa Court of Appeals have explored the requirement’s contours.  And just this month, the Iowa Supreme Court outlined another layer of considerations Iowa practitioners must keep in mind while litigating medical [...]

26 Jan, 2023

Be Mindful of Ethical Codes that Impact What Your Client or Witness Can Produce

2023-01-26T09:13:13-06:00January 26th, 2023|LDM MedMal Forum|

Cases that involve alleged brain injury often turn on expert battles over the results of sophisticated neuropsychological testing.  These tests—such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological battery, and the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale—represent the culmination of decades of specialized research.  And these tests can often provide key insights into the examinees’ cognitive abilities. Like any test, these neuropsychological batteries can be gamed if the examinee has enough [...]

14 Nov, 2022

$111 Million Verdict Assessed Against Minnesota Surgical Practice — Could it Happen in Nebraska or Iowa?

2022-11-14T17:59:18-06:00November 14th, 2022|LDM MedMal Forum|

This past summer saw a Minnesota federal jury deliver what may be the state’s largest medical malpractice verdict to date. Though outside the jurisdictions LDM generally provides services in, this verdict offers an opportunity for defense practitioners to assess whether their clients may be at risk of incurring similar substantial judgments. The case, Thapa v. St. Cloud Orthopedic Associates, Ltd., arose from an injury a college student sustained during a [...]

6 Jul, 2022

Iowa Supreme Court Applies Statute of Repose to “Failure to Inform” Cases

2022-07-06T17:50:11-05:00July 6th, 2022|LDM MedMal Forum|

In Downing v. Grossman, an April 2022 decision, the Iowa Supreme Court reaffirmed that medical malpractice plaintiffs may not use allegations of fraudulent concealment to employ equitable estoppel to eviscerate the operation of Iowa Code § 614.1(9)’s a statute of repose when the alleged fraudulent concealment goes to the very “heart of” a plaintiff’s claim. To understand Downing, it is important to keep in mind the similarities and differences between [...]

21 Apr, 2022

Whose Opinions Can You Share to Establish the Standard of Care

2022-04-21T09:18:03-05:00April 21st, 2022|LDM MedMal Forum|

In any medical malpractice case where a plaintiff claims your physician-client violated the applicable standard of care, one of the defense attorney’s first tasks is—or should be—to identify an expert to defend your client’s treatment.  At first glance, this task seems straightforward.  After all, the simple goal is to identify a person that can vouch for the care your client provided.  But states maintain distinct standards that sometimes differ as [...]

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