Joseph F. Babiarz, Jr.

Joseph F. Babiarz, Jr. concentrates his practice in the areas of medical malpractice, nursing home malpractice, hospital liability, extended care liability, and general liability. Mr. Babiarz has published several articles on the topic of medical malpractice and frequently lectures on how to avoid medical and nursing home malpractice claims.

A senior trial attorney, Mr. Babiarz has over 50 medical malpractice trials to his credit, 47 of which resulted in a verdict of no cause for action in favor of his clients. His cases typically involve high liability exposure amounts and complex issues pertaining to claims of catastrophic injury or death as a result of alleged malpractice on the part of doctors and other healthcare providers.

Representative Client Work

• Successfully defended a nursing home wrongful death claim involving allegations of side rail positional asphyxia
• Successfully defended an adult foster care facility in a wrongful death claim where plaintiff’s decedent was murdered while out for a walk in the community.  Plaintiff alleged that the facility failed to properly monitor and supervise a mentally disturbed resident
• Successfully defended several alleged failure to timely diagnose and treat breast cancer cases where plaintiffs’ demand to the jury was $1 million
• Successfully defended a claim in which plaintiff alleged the defendant hospital failed to comply with national experimental protocols in the treatment of breast cancer and lymphedema
• Successfully defended a birth trauma case involving paraplegia where plaintiff’s demand to the jury was $15 million
• Successfully defended three physicians before the state of Michigan Board of Medicine Disciplinary Subcommittee

Professional Affiliations

• Macomb County Bar Association
• Oakland County Bar Association
• State Bar of Michigan (Negligence Law Section)
• American Bar Association (Tort and Insurance Practice sections)
• Defense Research Institute

Community Involvement

• Michigan State University Alumni Association
• Detroit College of Law Alumni Association
• Economic Club of Detroit
• Oakland County Case Evaluation
• Macomb County Case Evaluation 

Publications and Lectures  

• "How to Avoid Malpractice Claims and the Most Common Licensing Claims Against Physicians" Risk Managment Seminar,  Presenter, Meadowbrook Insurance, Hilton Garden Inn, Southfield, MI, December 2, 2010 
• “How to Avoid Medical Malpractice Claims and the Most Common Licensing Claims Against Physicians" Risk Management Seminar, Presenter, Meadowbrook Insurance, Hilton Garden Inn, Southfield, MI, June 10, 2010 
• Michigan Medical Directors Association Annual meeting - Seminar - "Medical Legal Issues in the Nursing Home: What the Medical Director Needs to Know," Amway Grand Hotel, Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 10, 2009
• Served as presiding judge over Round 2 of the National Moot Court Competition, Michigan State University College of Law, East Lansing, Michigan, October 9, 2009
• Medical Liability Seminar - "Cross-examining Plaintiff's Damages Expert," Troy Marriott Hotel, Troy, Michigan, April 30, 2009
• Extended Care Seminar – “Your Guide for Surviving & Thriving in Today’s Legal Jungle,” Troy Marriott Hotel, Oct. 24, 2008
• Extended Care Seminar and Live Mock Trial – “Triple Jeopardy:  Your License, Liability & Liberty,” Troy Marriott Hotel, June 14, 2007
• Medical Liability Mock Trial Presented to Meadowbrook Insurance Company, Troy, Michigan, May 18, 2006
• Medical Liability Seminar – “Your Prescription For Reducing Liability-Related Stress,” Detroit Athletic Club, March 24, 2006
• Medical Liability Presentation - Litigation Primer at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine: “Preparing Defendant Physicians For a Deposition,” Nov. 2, 2005
• “Medical Liability Check Up.”  Detroit Athletic Club; March 18, 2005
• Medical Liability Mock Trial presented to St. John Hospital for physicians and nurses, Detroit, Michigan, June 24, 2004
• “Visual Aids and Demonstrative Evidence” Medical Liability Check Up Seminar presented by Plunkett Cooney, Detroit Athletic Club, March 25, 2004
• “Defective Affidavits of Merit” published in Plunkett Cooney Medical Malpractice Newsletter
• Medical Liability Mock Trial Presented to William Beaumont Hospital, Troy, MI, 2006  
• “Nursing Home Litigation – Impending Insurance Crisis,” Midwest Medical Doctor’s Seminar, Snowmass, CO, March 20, 2002
• “Concepts in Documentation in Nursing Homes,” in-service for Woodward Hills Nursing Home, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Feb. 15, 2002
• “Confidentiality of Medical Records in Michigan,” Detroit, Oct. 12, 2001
• “New Developments in Professional Liability,” Midwest Doctors’ Medical Seminar, Snowmass, CO, March 23, 2001
• “Healthcare Providers May Be Held Criminally Liable for ‘Reckless’ Care of a Vulnerable Adult,” Plunkett & Cooney, P.C. Medical Malpractice Newsletter, January 2001
• “Managed Care Litigation: Are You at Risk?” Presentation, Plunkett & Cooney, P.C., Detroit, MI, May 9, 1997
• "The Radiation Litigation Crisis: The Foots, The Figures, The Defenses" Presented to the Radiology Dept of William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, June 14, 1996 
• “Avoiding Liability When Interacting With Consultants,” Sinai Hospital, Detroit, MI, Sept. 27, 1995
• “Defending The Nursing Home In The ‘90s,” Michigan State University Management Center, Troy, MI, April 25, 1994
• “Avoiding Medical Malpractice Claims,” Physicians Insurance Company of Michigan, 1991-1993
• “Defensive Record Keeping,” Western Wayne County Organization of Medical Office Managers
• “Excellence in the Law,” Editor of Medical Malpractice Newsletter, 1990-1992