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Medical Malpractice Attorneys in Round Rock
You generally have two years from the negligent act or the end of treatment, with a ten-year outer limit that applies no matter when the harm was discovered to file a medical malpractice claim in Texas. That single fact drives most of what follows on this page, but it’s rarely the whole picture for any one case, which is where the details below and a real conversation with an attorney come in.
None of that replaces an actual conversation about the facts of a specific case.
The Local Area
St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, a 209-bed Level II trauma center; Round Rock straddles the Williamson-Travis county line, so a claim tied to Austin-area care can sometimes be filed in Travis County instead is part of what makes this area distinct, alongside employers like St. David’s HealthCare. That local grounding, the hospitals, courts, and providers, is exactly what a local attorney network brings to a case here.
Claims arising from care in Round Rock, including cases involving St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center are filed in Williamson County District Courts, which is worth knowing before anything else about the process. This is a jurisdictional detail that comes up early in the process, well before any argument about the merits of the claim itself.
What Happens Before You Can File in Texas
Before a Texas medical malpractice case reaches a courthouse, Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.051 requires the claimant to send formal notice, by certified mail with a return receipt, to each provider being pursued, along with a signed authorization releasing the relevant medical records, at least 60 days before filing. There’s a real upside to getting this step right early, too: sending it correctly extends the filing deadline by 75 days as to every party involved.
120 Days, Starting From the Answer
Unlike states that require expert sign-off before a case can even be filed, Texas allows the lawsuit to come first. Instead, Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.351 requires the report to be served on each defendant within 120 days of that defendant’s answer to the lawsuit, and Texas courts have little tolerance for missing that deadline or submitting a report that doesn’t meet the statute’s actual requirements.
What the Evidence Has to Establish
Four things have to line up for a Texas medical malpractice claim to succeed: a duty of care, a breach of that duty, causation connecting the breach to the injury, and damages that resulted. The expert report requirement discussed above exists specifically to address the middle two elements, breach and causation, since a lay jury generally can’t assess whether a provider’s conduct met the accepted medical standard without expert testimony.
Filing Deadlines Under Texas Law
Under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.251, injured patients generally have two years from the negligent act, or the end of related treatment, to bring a claim. Texas layers a second, harder deadline on top of that: a 10-year statute of repose, with no exception for injuries discovered only after that point.
Caps on Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages, like pain and suffering, are capped under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.301 at $250,000 per claimant against a single provider or institution, rising to $500,000 total when more than one institution is responsible, with no single institution ever answering for more than $250,000 of that combined total. Economic losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, and future care costs, are not subject to this ceiling.
Get Matched With an Attorney
Based on your injury type and where you’re located in Round Rock, our system connects you with a medical malpractice attorney in our network who handles exactly this kind of case. No call center, no directory, just a direct connection to someone who actually handles this. Also worth a look: criminal defense attorneys in Round Rock and medical malpractice attorneys in San Marcos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to notify the doctor before I sue in Texas?
Certified mail, return receipt requested, sent at least 60 days before filing, with a signed medical records authorization attached, per Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.051. It’s worth the effort: correct notice adds 75 days to the filing deadline.
When is an expert report due in a Texas malpractice case?
That comes later, not before filing. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.351 requires a qualified expert report served on each defendant within 120 days of that defendant’s answer, and failing to meet it can end the case.
How long do I have to file a medical malpractice claim in Texas?
Two separate limits apply: a two-year filing deadline under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.251, and a firm 10-year statute of repose that bars any claim after that point regardless of discovery.
How does the multi-institution damage cap work in Texas?
Non-economic damages are capped under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.301 at $250,000 against a single provider and $500,000 total against multiple institutions. Economic losses, like medical bills and lost wages, have no such cap.
What's the correct venue for a health care liability claim from Round Rock?
Williamson County District Courts is where these claims are filed.
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