Medicolegal cases

Medicolegal issues in sport have become very prominent in recent years. New South Wales is said to be the world's second most litigious state after California. There are a few occasions where players have taken legal action to gain compensate for injuries in recent years.

Although there has not been a high profile case of a professional football player in Australia successfully suing a team doctor, there are some cases currently in progress.

Many team doctors in Australia are professionally insured with United Medical Protection, and are consequently facing a period of uncertainty about their professional insurance status.

D octors working for professional football teams are generally highly competent and practice in a responsible and caring fashion, but unfortunately this does not necessarily protect them from being sued for ‘negligence' in Australia's current legal climate.

Some of the more prominent medicolegal cases in professional football in Australia have including:

• Players such as Luke O'Sullivan, Phil Krakouer, Steven Alessio, Joe Misiti suing the AFL and its grounds over a contribution of the playing surface to their injury. These cases have been settled out-of-court.

Should Australia adopt New Zealand's insurance system for managing sports injuries? Read an editorial from the Medical Journal of Australia

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