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‘I’m sorry’ bill divides doctors and trial lawyers in House Judiciary hearing
Summary
House Bill 7,548 would make expressions of sympathy or apologies by health‑care providers inadmissible as evidence of liability. Hospital and physician groups supported the measure as restoring compassionate communication; trial‑lawyer witnesses warned it could obscure evidence and complicate malpractice litigation.
House Bill 7,548, introduced by Chairwoman Fogarty, would make statements by health‑care providers about an unanticipated outcome — including apologies or expressions of sympathy — inadmissible as evidence of liability or as statements against interest.
Supporters — including Care New England, Kent Hospital, and the Rhode Island Medical Society — told the committee the statute would allow clinicians to respond to patients with compassion without fearing those words could be used later in court. "In those…
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