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  House Engrossed Senate Bill
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  State of Arizona
  Senate
  Forty-fifth Legislature
  First Regular Session
  2001
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      SENATE BILL 1208
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AN ACT

AMENDING SECTION 12-570, ARIZONA REVISED STATUES; RELATING TO HEALTH CARE ACTIONS.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 12-570, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

12-570. Malpractice settlement or award reporting; civil penalty

A. If a medical malpractice action is settled or a court enters a monetary judgment, the plaintiff's attorney and the professional liability insurers shall provide the defendant's health profession regulatory board with the notice required under subsection B of this section, a copy of the complaint and a copy of either the agreed terms of settlement or the judgment. The attorney shall provide this notice and these documents within thirty days after a settlement is reached or a judgment is entered. For the purposes of this subsection, "health profession regulatory board" has the same meaning prescribed in section 32-3201.

B. The notice required by subsection A of this section shall contain the following information:

1. The name and address of each defendant.

2. The name and address of each plaintiff.

3. The date and location of the occurrence which created the claim.

4. A statement specifying the nature of the occurrence resulting in the malpractice action.

5. A copy of all expert witness depositions, a transcript of all expert witness court testimony or a written evaluation of the case by an expert witness. A PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURER IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING THE INFORMATION REQUIRED BY THIS PARAGRAPH.

C. The notice required by subsection A of this section is not discoverable and not admissible as evidence.

D. An attorney who does not supply the information required by subsections A and B of this section within thirty days after the notice of settlement or judgment is due under subsection A of this section is subject to a civil penalty of five hundred dollars.

Sec. 2. Effective date

Section 12-570, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, is effective from and after June 30, 2003.