Trust Was Broken. We Find Out If It Was Also Negligence.
Medical malpractice cases are among the most complex — and most consequential — claims in civil law. If a doctor, hospital, or care provider failed you, Patterson Law will tell you honestly whether you have a case.
Not Every Bad Outcome Is Malpractice, but Some Are.
Medicine carries real risk. Doctors make judgment calls. Not every complication, every misread test, or every difficult surgery that ends badly rises to the level of legal negligence. But some do — and when a healthcare provider deviates from the accepted standard of care and that deviation causes serious harm, the law gives you the right to hold them accountable.
At Patterson Law, we handle this analysis the right way. We work with qualified medical experts who review the record, evaluate the care provided, and give us a grounded opinion on whether negligence occurred. If it did, we build the case. If it didn't, we tell you that too — because the right answer serves you better than false hope.
How Long Do You Have to File a Malpractice Claim in NC?
North Carolina's statute of limitations for medical malpractice is three years from the date of the negligent act. But there is a critical exception: if you did not discover the injury right away — and in many malpractice cases, you couldn't have — the clock starts running from the date you discovered the injury, or reasonably should have discovered it.
Two limits apply:
- Three years from the date of the act or omission, OR
- One year from the date the injury was discovered or reasonably should have been discovered — whichever is later
Both of those limits are subject to an absolute ten-year cap from the date of the negligent act, regardless of when the injury was found.
What this means practically: if you waited because you weren't sure it was malpractice, or because you only recently connected your injury to your care, you may still have a viable window. The only way to know for certain is to have an attorney review the timeline. Contact us and we will tell you where you stand.
Nursing Home Negligence
When a facility fails to provide adequate care, residents suffer preventable injuries, infections, falls, and worse. If someone you love was harmed in a nursing home or long-term care facility, we can review what happened and what it means legally.
Birth Injuries
Errors during labor and delivery can cause permanent harm to a child or mother. These cases require careful expert analysis of obstetric and neonatal standards of care — analysis we are equipped to conduct.
Surgical Errors
Wrong-site surgery, anesthesia errors, retained instruments, and post-operative failures are among the surgical errors that give rise to malpractice claims. If something went wrong before, during, or after your surgery, that record deserves a closer look.
Failure to Diagnose
A delayed or missed diagnosis — cancer, a cardiac event, an infection — can change the entire course of a patient's prognosis. When a timely diagnosis was reasonably possible and a provider failed to make it, that failure may be actionable.
What NC Law Requires Before a Malpractice Case Can Be Filed
North Carolina has a procedural requirement that catches many malpractice victims off guard: before a lawsuit can be filed, the complaint must include a Rule 9(j) certification. This certification confirms that a qualified medical expert has reviewed the medical care at issue and is prepared to testify that the treatment did not meet the accepted standard of care.
This is not a technicality to work around — it is a substantive requirement that shapes how malpractice cases are built from the beginning. It is one of the reasons medical malpractice claims require an attorney who handles this work specifically, not a general practice firm that takes one occasionally.
At Patterson Law, expert review is part of how we evaluate every potential malpractice case. You do not have to figure out Rule 9(j) on your own.
They Have a Legal Team. Now You Do Too.
Hospitals and physicians carry institutional malpractice insurance, and those insurers have experienced defense attorney whose job is to minimize or eliminate your recovery. That is not a reason to walk away — it is a reason to have representation that knows how to meet them.
Patterson Law handles medical malpractice cases in-house. Your case is worked by an attorney, not delegated to case managers or processed through automated systems. We appear at all three of our offices — in Kannapolis, Salisbury, and Gastonia — and we are available to meet with you face to face. When you go up against an institutional defendant, you need a firm that takes the work as seriously as the other side does.
Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Malpractice in NC
How do I know if I have a medical malpractice case in NC?
A valid malpractice claim requires showing that a healthcare provider deviated from the accepted standard of care and that the deviation directly caused your injury. A bad outcome alone is not enough — the care itself must have fallen below what a competent provider in the same specialty would have done. The only reliable way to evaluate this is a detailed review of your medical records by an attorney working with a qualified expert.
What is the statute of limitations for medical malpractice in NC?
Generally, three years from the date of the negligent act. If you did not and could not have discovered the injury at the time, you have one year from the date of discovery — but no claim can be filed more than ten years after the act itself. If you are unsure where you stand on the timeline, contact us before assuming your window has closed.
Can I sue a doctor in NC?
Yes. Physicians, surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other licensed healthcare providers can all be named in a medical malpractice claim. Hospitals and care facilities can also be held liable for the conduct of their employees or for systemic failures in care. The key is establishing that the standard of care was breached and that breach caused your harm.
What is Rule 9(j) and why does it matter?
Rule 9(j) is a North Carolina procedural rule requiring that a malpractice complaint be certified by a qualified medical expert before it is filed. Without that certification, the case can be dismissed. It is one of the reasons medical malpractice cases require careful pre-filing preparation — and why working with an attorney who handles these cases specifically matters.
How much does it cost to hire a medical malpractice attorney?
Patterson Law handles medical malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover for you. Your initial case review is free.
Does Patterson Law handle malpractice cases outside of Kannapolis and Salisbury?
Yes. We serve clients throughout the NC Piedmont from our offices in Kannapolis, Salisbury, and Gastonia, including Concord, China Grove, Lowell, and surrounding Cabarrus, Rowan, and Gaston County communities.
Patterson Law has represented injury victims across the NC Piedmont for years, earning the trust of clients and peers alike through results and referrals — not advertising. Toby Patterson, a past president of the Gaston County Bar, and his co-counsel handle every case personally. If you believe a healthcare provider's negligence changed the course of your life or the life of someone you love, we want to hear what happened. Learn more about our firm and the attorney behind it on our
about page.