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Business Doctors Wrong Sue Means Pay Malpractice States

Id ESLPod_0124_CN
Episode Id ESLPod 124
Episode Title Asking for Clarification in a Business Meeting.
Title Saying "Sorry" in Business
Text

When someone makes a mistake and does something that "causes you harm" (hurts you), you expect the person "to apologize" (to say "I'm sorry"). And when someone apologizes, most of the time, you no longer feel so bad, and you forgive them - or at least, are less "bothered" (troubled) by their actions. Saying "I'm sorry" "goes a long way" (accomplishes a lot) in making a bad situation better.

So why does "I'm sorry" seem so difficult for some businesses to say? The answer, at least in the United States, can be found in our legal system. Saying "I'm sorry" is admitting that you did something wrong, and if you admit you did something wrong, someone can easily sue you. "To sue" means to go to a judge and ask for money for whatever "damages" (financial loss or injury) you have suffered. "I'm sorry" means you are "guilty" (did something wrong or illegal) in the U.S., and most companies don't want to have to pay for their mistakes.

Doctors and hospitals are especially "reluctant" (resistant; unwilling) to say, "I'm sorry" due to "medical malpractice suits" (legal actions against a doctor because of physical harm he or she caused). But many people sue their doctors because they are angry that the doctor doesn't just apologize for doing something wrong. If their doctors apologized, they would actually be less likely to sue. For this reason, more than 36 states have passed "apology laws," where saying "I'm sorry" cannot be "used against you in court" (cannot be used as proof you did something wrong and therefore you must pay money). States that have apology laws have less expensive malpractice suits than those that do not have these laws.

Topics Business

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