Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Claims of medical malpractice, when pursued in US courts, are usually processed as civil torts, but are sometimes subject to criminal procedures, as in the case of the death of Michael Jackson. Medical professionals may obtain professional liability insurances to offset the costs of lawsuits based on medical malpractice.