A medical malpractice suit is a claim made to a court in which a plaintiff seeks compensation for injuries sustained as a direct result of medical error on the part of the defendant. A medical malpractice suit should not be confused with a negligence suit as the two differ considerable on one point. A medical malpractice suit results when treatment has been given, but is either administered improperly or is the wrong treatment entirely. Medical neglect occurs when a patient is denied treatment due to reasons that were not the patients fault. A medical malpractice suit compensation award can reach the six figure range. Suits that reach a jury are usually awarded a large compensation. As such, it is not uncommon for a defendant in a medical malpractice suit to settle out of court in order to pay a lesser amount of money.