CAN ACTIVE-DUTY MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS SUE THE UNITED STATES ARMY, NAVY, OR AIR FORCE?

Our Lawyers Fighting the Feres Doctrine

The Richard Stayskal Medical Accountability Act was a significant step towards gaining equal legal protections for the members of the Armed Forces, and our law firm is proud to have played a key role in its passage. Attorney Laurie Higginbotham worked hard behind the scenes to get the bill the attention it deserved. She even traveled to Capitol Hill in October 2019, meeting with Senate staffers, answering questions about the bill, and fighting for military families. She explained to senators and representatives the importance of the Act.

This new right to bring a claim is still inadequate without the right to file suit in federal court, but it’s certainly better than no relief at all, which has been the case for a generation. Some 70 years ago, the Supreme Court created a judicial exception to the FTCA as a result of the controversial case Feres v. United States. The Feres doctrine bars active-duty military personnel from bringing claims against the government for injuries arising out of “activity incident to service.”

The law firm of Whitehurst, Harkness, Brees, Cheng, Alsaffar, & Jacob PLLC has worked tirelessly to change this law for decades, in the United States Supreme Court, the Circuit Courts of Appeals and before Congress. Attorney Jamal Alsaffar represented the Brown family in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in a Feres case. There, at the district court level, the Government successfully dismissed the child of an active-duty soldier from suing for birth injuries caused by medical malpractice. Thanks to his efforts at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Mr. Alsaffar convinced the Sixth Circuit to reverse the lower court, and the family was able to pursue a lawsuit on behalf of the child against the United States to win a $13 million judgment against the Government.

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It is extremely time-consuming and expensive to pursue a complex military case, but our firm can skillfully guide you through the litigation process. Contact our attorneys today to schedule a consultation.

Thereafter, Laurie Higginbotham, Jamal Alsaffar, and Tom Jacob represented the Witt family in an appeal to the United States’ Supreme Court, arguing that the Court should reverse itself and let active-duty service members sue for medical malpractice. Besides our own legal representation, we mounted an amicus brief campaign, finding eight organizations and eight lawyers also willing to write amicus briefs asking the Supreme Court to take the case. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court declined to grant certiorari.

Next in our battle to overturn Feres, Laurie Higginbotham represented the Oritz family. In that case, the United States argued that the baby of an active-duty mother could not sue the Government because of Feres. As before in Witt, Attorney Higginbotham worked with a team of lawyers across the country and took the case all the way to the Supreme Court.

Once again, our firm led the amicus brief campaign, and obtained 10 amicus clients and lawyers willing to write on behalf of military mothers, including an amicus written by members of Congress. This time, before the Supreme Court could decide whether to grant or deny certiorari, the United States offered to settle the case for full value and a settlement was reached on behalf of the child before the Supreme Court made a decision.

The law firm of Whitehurst, Harkness, Brees, Cheng, Alsaffar, & Jacob PLLC believes that active-duty members of our Armed Forces deserve full access to the rights and protections offered by the Federal Tort Claims Act. We won’t stop fighting for service members and their families until Feres is overturned. If we can assist your family in the pursuit of justice for a medical malpractice injury or wrongful death, please contact us today for a complimentary telephone consultation.

Where Things Stand – September, 2020

The Richard Stayskal Medical Accountability Act was signed by the President in 2019 and is now law. For the first time in 70 years, our law firm can help active-duty service members and their families recover settlements. While the right to file suit in federal court is still not yet a reality, we can help military families get compensation for their injuries and suffering. If you or an active-duty service member in your family has been a victim of medical malpractice in the last two years, call us today.