Plain-language information about medical malpractice claims in Arizona: the deadlines, the expert requirements, what a case can cost, and what to expect along the way.
The Arizona Medical Malpractice Resource Center is an information and referral service. We are not a law firm, we do not give legal advice, and using this site does not create an attorney-client relationship. Arizona has strict filing deadlines, so if you think you have a claim, do not wait.
What this site is for
Most people do not know how a medical malpractice claim works until they are in the middle of one. This site explains the Arizona rules in plain language: how long you have, what has to be proved, what lawyers charge and what the first steps look like.
It is information, not legal advice. The goal is to help you understand your situation well enough to have a useful conversation with a licensed Arizona attorney.
Three things worth knowing first
- Deadlines are short. Most Arizona medical malpractice claims must be filed within two years after the claim accrues (A.R.S. 12-542). Claims against a public hospital, clinic or other public entity need a notice of claim within 180 days (A.R.S. 12-821.01). Read the Arizona medical malpractice deadlines, explained guide, and the guide on Claims against public hospitals and clinics.
- Most cases need a medical expert. Arizona law (A.R.S. 12-2603) sets out when an expert’s sworn opinion has to be served and what it must contain. The guide to The expert affidavit explains it in plain terms.
- Your records are usually the starting point. Getting your medical records covers how to ask for them in Arizona.
Start here
If you read only three pages, read these.
- How a medical malpractice claim works in Arizona. A plain-order walk through how a malpractice claim moves forward in Arizona.
- Arizona medical malpractice law explained. The legal basics: what malpractice means in Arizona and what a claim has to show.
- Arizona medical malpractice deadlines, explained. The filing deadlines, including the shorter ones for public hospitals and clinics.
Guides by topic
Steps and paperwork
Short guides to the steps and paperwork that come up in many Arizona cases.
- Claims against public hospitals and clinics
- The expert affidavit
- Medical board complaint or lawsuit
- Getting your medical records
- Do I have a malpractice case?
- Choosing a malpractice lawyer
- VA malpractice claims
Types of medical errors
What each kind of case usually involves under Arizona law.
- Emergency room malpractice
- Misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis
- Surgical errors
- Medication errors
- Birth injuries
- Delayed cancer diagnosis
- Missed stroke or heart attack
- Sepsis and hospital infections
- Cosmetic surgery
- Brain injury
- Wrongful death
Nursing homes and elder care
For families worried about a parent in a nursing home or assisted living.
Cost and damages
How malpractice lawyers are paid, what limits apply to damages, and what shapes the value of a claim.
Local information
Arizona law is the same in every city. What changes is the local picture: which county and courts apply, where a claim against a city or town goes, and which public hospitals and clinics are nearby.
Who writes this site
The site is edited by Joe Styler, who is not an attorney. Pages are written from primary sources such as Arizona statutes and court rules, and each page shows when it was last updated. You can read more on the About page.
If you want a lawyer to look at your situation
You can send a short request. We are an information and referral service, not a law firm. We may pass your request to an Arizona law firm that is willing to look at requests like yours, and we cannot promise that any firm will take it. Sending the form does not stop or pause any filing deadline.
Think you may have a claim?
Tell us what happened. We may pass your request to an Arizona law firm that can review it.
Request a Free Case Review