How many malpractice lawsuits are there in the US each year?

Between 15,000 and 19,000.

According to the National Practitioner Data Bank 2006 Annual Report, the number of medical malpractice lawsuits per year varies from about 15,000 and 19,000. In 2006, for instance, 15,843 malpractice payment reports were received. The most current malpractice reasons are: diagnosis, surgery and treatment, respectively. The mean payment for malpractice lawsuits in 2006 was $234,635.