"I'm going to sue you", What do you say?

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This has happened to me soooo many times but especially during the past year. One particular time I told the doctor and he came straight over and DC'd the patient and told the family not to ever darken his doorway again that he would not put up with patients or their families threatening the nurses. Go doc !!! You rock !!!

Yesterday the twin brother of a patient said "I'm an attorney and I may consider suing".

Several months ago, "If you don't do as I ask I'll sue you, where's a phone book so I can look for an attorney".

People obviously think this scares me. It doesn't. It's kinda like threatening to go AMA. So what, go ahead, you're only hurting yourself I want to say. What I really say is....... What you're not realizing is threatening to go AMA is not a threat to me only to your health and to your finances.

Back to the subject......I tell patients/family members "I can only follow the doctors orders and if you feel as though you need to call an attorney then please do whatever you feel you need to. I'm not concerned that I've done anything illegal".

I wish more doctors would throw patients out on their can for threatening!!!

Depending on the circumstances, I may attempt to diffuse the situation by finding out what was viewed as being done wrong or not done, make succinct apology, and appropriate corrective action...again depending on circumstances. Usually, there is no legitimate complaint, so instead of giving my name, I give them the name and direct office extension of the ER Director...God I love this job!!

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Specializes in ER, Trauma.

I've 2 responses depending on the circumstances. I either get another nurse to take over the patients care making sure the nurse knows why I'm requesting the change. The other response is to just say "that's fine" and document the situation and quote the patient or family member.

Threatening to sue is a control game, usually because the person making the threat feels helpless.

I've been an EMT and RN for over 20 years. I'm comfortable with the care I deliver. The person threatening to sue me has to prove I did something wrong which harmed the patient. Since I've yet to make a mistake that harmed a patient, I know they're is nothing they can sue me for anyway and I don't sweat it.

I loathe lawyers, so I carry my own insurnce for less than $100/year. If somebody actually did sue me, the insurance co. can find and pay a lawyer for me. It also helps when an employer is trying to bluff me about some patient ridiculous issue. "my insurance company has a stake in this, so I'll have them contact you" usually makes managers much more reasonable.

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.
I am always amazed when people tell me they are going to sue. I heard it alot when I worked in the county jail. I usually just told them to stand in line. It wasn't necessarily the right thing to say, but it had the intended effect--it let them know I wasn't afraid of their threats.:stone

I had a similar stock reply when I worked the jail. Get in line, which would you like first, my mortgage or my car payment.:rotfl:

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HA! HA! HA! I had to laugh when I read this thread! In my 2.5 years as a prison nurse, I've been threatened with a law suit at least 14 times, been "charged" with RAPE 4 times and have been presented with at least 2 subponeas. Inmates are perhaps the most sue-happy people on the planet and like to play the "attorney" card whenever they can.

The first law suit involved the loss of one inmate's testicle due to an infection. We later found out that the inmate had been masturbating...while he had a catheter in place. How he pulled that one off is beyond my ablility to understand. What's really funny is that the names on the subopenas were wrong and had to be changed again!

The second inmate tried to sue us because his PPD test came back positive. He says we gave him TB.

When an inmate threatens me with a law suit, I say "Will you be using the same lawyer who tried to keep you OUT of jail?" :rotfl: That usually shuts them up. If not, I let them have it and remind them of all the tests, labs and assessments they refused. This is usually as far as it goes.

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There are days that really get under my skin especially when pts or pt's families make comments like "I'm paying more to stay here then I do at the Four Seasons. I had better get good service." WTF??? Sorry....I got a bit side-tracked. Good Luck with those "types" of people.

My reply to that would be (with a smirk on my face) "but did you ever try to get a heparin drip from room service?" That shuts 'em up like right now.

:rotfl: :rotfl:

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Specializes in primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, NICU.

Our hospital has a Patient Advocate (don't ever want her position!). They handle patient and family complaints. I have not ever personally been threatened with being sued, but I often hear patients or family members threaten to sue the hospital... I usually respond "I can give you the direct line for our Patient Advocate, she can help you address these concerns" sometimes people just want to be heard,yes....but I think it's kind of stupid of them to make threats.

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What do you say? "Go ahead. Make my day." (No. not really). I would just say, "I'm sorry you feel this way".

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i have said:

"if i had a nickel for every time someone said that to me, i wouldn't have to work anymore". (not a recommended response)

[color=#ffa500]"get in line. if there's anything left by the time they get to you, you can have it". (again, not a recommended response)

[color=#ffa500]"do you really want to go to all that trouble to get my 9 year old car?" (once again, not a recommended response)

[color=#ffa500]"well, i am sure you will do what you feel is the right thing to do". (better response...a bit more neutral)

[color=#ffa500]"what seems to be your problem? perhaps we can fix it." (truthfully, i don't like to use this one too often, because it makes them think that the suing threat works)

the bottom line is that, as another poster said, they threaten to sue out of a sense of powerlessness over their situation, their life, their health. anyone can sue...it's whether or not they will win, or actaully be able to make a case, that is the issue. "reasonable and prudent" care is the goal...do that, and you should be fine.

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Specializes in Transplant, homecare, hospice.
First of all, let me start out this post by saying I do NOT advocate doing what I did.

When I was a whole lot younger. Very young nurse in OB, I had had a horrible month of most difficult deliveries.

One night, after we had worked so very hard to save this girls' life, and, after everything was over and the mom and baby were doing wonderfully, the father (the girls' father) followed me outside the hospital.

He looked at me and said, "I'm thinking about suing you."

I said, "My name is XXXXX..........please be sure you spell it right."

LOL...Oops. :p I'm glad he didn't sue you...I don't know what I would say if someone said that to me directly. I've heard pts say that they want to sue our hospital, but I haven't heard that in a long time. :)

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Specializes in Psych.
HA! HA! HA! I had to laugh when I read this thread! In my 2.5 years as a prison nurse, I've been threatened with a law suit at least 14 times, been "charged" with RAPE 4 times and have been presented with at least 2 subponeas. Inmates are perhaps the most sue-happy people on the planet and like to play the "attorney" card whenever they can.

The first law suit involved the loss of one inmate's testicle due to an infection. We later found out that the inmate had been masturbating...while he had a catheter in place. How he pulled that one off is beyond my ablility to understand. What's really funny is that the names on the subopenas were wrong and had to be changed again!

The second inmate tried to sue us because his PPD test came back positive. He says we gave him TB.

When an inmate threatens me with a law suit, I say "Will you be using the same lawyer who tried to keep you OUT of jail?" :rotfl: That usually shuts them up. If not, I let them have it and remind them of all the tests, labs and assessments they refused. This is usually as far as it goes.

:rotfl: "The same lawyer" ha... hahaha.....hahaha:rotfl:

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Specializes in Psych.
I had a similar stock reply when I worked the jail. Get in line, which would you like first, my mortgage or my car payment.:rotfl:

:rotfl: Good one!

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Specializes in Psych.
There are days that really get under my skin especially when pts or pt's families make comments like "I'm paying more to stay here then I do at the Four Seasons. I had better get good service." WTF??? Sorry....I got a bit side-tracked. Good Luck with those "types" of people.

My reply to that would be (with a smirk on my face) "but did you ever try to get a heparin drip from room service?" That shuts 'em up like right now.

:rotfl: :rotfl:

And is the astronomical cost REALLY due to the price of nursing service? HHHMMM, sometimes, I wonder. We seem to hear that a lot from management. I want proof!

Here's my stock reply to "I'm going to sue you":

THAT'S YOUR PRIVILEGE. In the mean time, is there anything I do to help you now?

So, what about it, legal eagles, is this response inappropriate? Please let me know.

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