Rule 9(j)’s special pleading requirement

Rule 9(j) of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure requires plaintiffs filing medical malpractice complaints to include a specific allegation not required in other types of negligence suits.  The plaintiff must allege that the medical care and records have been reviewed by an expert who meets certain qualifications and who is willing to testify that there was a breach of the standard of care.  The rule is very strict, and if a plaintiff fails to include the Rule 9(j) language before the underlying statute of limitations expires, the complaint “shall be dismissed.”  See, e.g., Vaughan v. Mashburn, 795 S.E.2d 781 (N.C. App. 2016) (acknowledging the harshness of the result).