Common knowledge exception

{
  "id": "MLC-T-INS-000847",
  "term": "Common knowledge exception",
  "field": "Insurance and risk management",
  "definition": "A rule in malpractice and other professional negligence cases that excuses the plaintiff from presenting expert testimony on the standard of care when the alleged breach is obvious to an ordinary layperson, such as operating on the wrong limb or leaving a surgical instrument inside a patient. Courts apply it narrowly, because most professional standards of care are technical, and it lets a jury find negligence without a professional witness.",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/insurance/common-knowledge-exception/"
}