Diminishing the Requirement for Causation Experts

In Thompson v. Laspisa, the Illinois Appellate Court held that expert testimony is not automatically required to establish proximate cause in medical or dental negligence cases. While expert evidence may be necessary for complex causation issues, the court ruled that a jury can assess obvious damages—such as pain and suffering—without specialized medical testimony. The decision partially reversed summary judgment, clarifying that the need for expert testimony depends on whether the issue is beyond the understanding of an average juror.