Glossary · Legal Concept
Empirical Baseline
The median payout of similar historical cases before any modeling, used as the plain benchmark the Hooper Engine's prediction is measured against.
Also known as: cohort median, empirical baseline median, baseline median
What it is
The empirical baseline is the median payout of similar historical cases, matched on factors such as state, license type, and injury severity, before any modeling is applied. In a report it is the first of the four payout stages, the plain "what have cases like this paid" number.
How to read it
The baseline is the reference point the rest of the payout is measured against. The Hooper Model prediction, the human-factors adjustment, and the expected value are all easier to judge once you know where the raw historical median sits. A prediction far above the baseline signals case-specific factors doing heavy lifting; one near it rests on the comparables alone.
Why it matters
Because it involves no modeling, the empirical baseline is the most defensible single number in the report. It is the figure a skeptical opponent is least able to argue with, which makes it a useful anchor in a negotiation.
See Also
- Hooper Engine — MedMalPredict's proprietary AI prediction system, trained on more than 270,000 historical medical malpractice cases, that produces jurisdiction-aware predictions for payment probability, payout range, and outcome severity.
- Predicted Payout — The Hooper Engine's headline recommended settlement amount for a case, adjusted for human factors and expressed in current dollars, shown with its cohort percentile and distance from the median.
- Payout Range — The Hooper Engine's low, expected, and high estimate of what a medical malpractice case will pay if it results in payment, adjusted to current dollars.
- Expected Value — The probability-weighted worth of a case before its outcome is known, found by multiplying payment probability by expected payout; the right figure for ranking cases at intake.