Richard Lucas, Petitioners v. United States of America, Respondent

Summary

The Texas Supreme Court held that the medical malpractice damages caps in Tex. Rev. Civ. Stat. Ann. art. 4590i §§ 11.02 and 11.03 violate the Texas Constitution’s open‑courts guarantee (Art. I, §13). Because the caps are unconstitutional, the Court did not need to decide whether the caps apply per defendant or per claimant. Separate dissenting and concurring opinions argued the caps were constitutional under a rational‑basis analysis or with an adequate substitute remedy.