Good Samaritan Laws - Legal Disarray: An Update
![handle is hein.journals/mercer38 and id is 1455 raw text is: Good Samaritan Laws-Legal Disarray:
An Update
L INTRODUCTION
Legislatures, the American Bar Association, the American Medical As-
sociation, and the insurance industry continue to debate and to focus
public attention on tort reform, medical malpractice, and control of
skyrocketing professional insurance premiums.' In the meantime con-
sumer groups representing potential medical malpractice plaintiffs are
vigorously opposing reform efforts.' As many states review their tort laws,
perhaps the occasion is at hand to reconsider the need for, and the hope-
less disarray of, good samaritan laws that are in the codes of every state
and the District of Columbia8
This Comment provides an update of all good samaritan statutes, a
brief discussion of the elements of the statutes, and an update and dis-
cussion of good samaritan case law. Although good samaritan issues arise
in various fact patterns, this Comment devotes special attention to medi-
cal service providers. Finally, as a service to Eleventh Circuit practition-
ers, section IV discusses the status of good samaritan law in Alabama,
Florida, and Georgia through May, 1987.
II. THE GOOD SAMARITAN EXCEPTION: POLICY AND HISTORY
A number of excellent law review articles published over the years pro-
vide an in depth analysis of the history and underlying policy of good
samaritan statutes.4 A brief orientation, however, is useful to the reader's
comprehension of this Comment and update.
1. NAT'L UNDzRWRrrzR (PROP. & CASUALTY EDmoN), Feb. 21, 1986, at 1, col. 2, at 67, col.
1, at 75, col. 3.
2. NAT'L UNDswmRra (Lnz & HEALu EDmoN), Mar. 15, 1986, at 13, coL. 1.
3. See Table I.
4. See, e.g., Holland, The Good Samaritan Laws: A Reappraisal, 16 J. PUB, L 128 (1967)
[hereinafter Holland]; Mapel & Weigel, Good Samaritan Laws-Who Needs Them?: The
Current State of Good Samaritan Protection in the United States, 21 S. TEx. LJ. 327
(1981) thereinafter Mapel & Weigel]; Comment, Good Samaritan Laws-The Legal Pla-
cebo: A Current Analysis, 17 AKRON L RaV. 303 (1983) [hereinafter Legal Placebo]; Com-
ment, Good Samaritans and Liability for Medical Malpractice, 64 COLUM. L. Rav. 1301
(1964) [hereinafter COLUMIA]; Comment, Good Samaritan Legislation: An Analysis and a
Proposal, 38 Tae. LQ. 418 (1965) [hereinafter Tams]j..
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Good Samaritan Laws - Legal Disarray: An Update
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