Question

A medical malpractice claim involving a wrong-site surgery was heard in a higher court, which resulted in the health care facility’s requirement to pay the plaintiff $1 million in damages. A similar case with similar elements was also heard in a lower court, and thus the lower court followed the lead of the higher court in deciding the outcome of the case. The term that most appropriately describes the action of the lower court is:

Answer 1

The correct answer to the following question will be "Stare decisis".

Step-by-step explanation:

• The theory that, throughout all subsequent situations under which the circumstances are essentially that same, the laws or principles of justice over which the courts have based the preceding opinion are conclusive.
• The stare decision or decisis is intended to encourage fair, straightforward decisions in similar situations.

So that this will be the concept that defines the lower court's behavior quite accurately.