Sheila Alkamel v. Piedmont Hospital, Inc., et al.

Whether a state court violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by dismissing a pro se litigant's medical malpractice and wrongful death complaint with prejudice for failure to attach a medical expert affidavit, where the complaint was filed within ten days of the expiration of the statute of limitations and the plaintiff contends she qualified for the statutory 45-day extension under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1(b).

Whether requiring a contemporaneous medical expert affidavit as a prerequisite to filing suit, as applied to indigent and/or pro se litigants who face financial and practical barriers to obtaining an expert, unconstitutionally blocks access to the courts in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Whether dismissal of an appeal on procedural grounds violates due process where court officials' actions (including acceptance of filings and fees and provision of electronic filing access) induced a reasonable belief that the appeal was properly filed.