Midwives: what would happen if you were sued?

[janellesmommy]

Do you have insurance? If not, have you taken legal precautions to protect your assets?

[MsBlack]

Assets???? Who has assets????

;-)

Nope, no insurance, none available, no assets here to speak of. But that's just me, I live real simply--I'm sure SOME midwives do have assets.

[636Jen]

I've thought about this. I just recently started looking into this and might do an umbrella type thing....personal protection along with my house, car etc. insurance. Or, go into business as an LLC. The laws might vary in different states and some might require insurance, others may not. It might cost quite a bit per month but it's better to have it (IMO) than get sued and lose everything. I have assets so I will need to have insurance.

[Romana]

FYI, an LLC usually does not provide any asset protection or prevent you as the owner/member from being sued personally. A corporation can provide asset protection if you're conscientious about following the rules. The laws differ from state to state, however, so finding information can be a little tricky.

Disclaimer: None of the above is legal advice . . . and I'm not a birth professional.

[bobandjess99]

We hjave 2 local midwives i know of, 1 carries insurance and the other does not. The one who does carry insurance charges about double what the other does, because the insurance is SO high. The one who doesn't....I'm not sure what she has done, but she is married, and my assumption was that she probably owns "nothing" on paper, it's prolly all in hubby's name alone.

[janellesmommy]

Jess, do you know what company issued that insurance for that one midwife? Can you find out? I've had people tell me that it is impossible for midwives to get insurance. Is she a CNM or not? Does she do homebirths?

Thanks!