Can a doctor, dentist, etc. be sued for medical malpractice if the accident was done on purpose?

[leonie36]

For example the dentist who pulled out all of her ex-boyfriend's teeth.

[porter]

Yes...

[spengler]

Saw this on TV, yeah she can be sued.. and there is no such thing as an accident done on purpose, doesn't make sense.

[chansomps]

if it's done on purpose, i.e. with intent to hurt, it's not an accident, so yes. but only if you can prove that there was not valid paperwork that said that all the teeth needed to be pulled, for exmaple.

[devdutta58]

You can sue a doctor (or anyone for that matter) if they acted negligently or intentionally and caused harm as a result. For instance, if the dentist in your example pulled the wrong tooth due to an error in record keeping or as a result of misreading an x-ray, the dentist acted negligently and can be sued. If the dentist pulled the teeth in an effort to intentionally harm the person, they can be sued for that as well. A negligence action generally allows a person to receive compensatory damages (i.e. lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering, permanent impairment) to make up for the harm caused. An intentional tort action generally allows a person to collect compensatory damages and punitive damages, which are designed to punish the wrongdoer and deter future misconduct.