The failure to file an affidavit of merit alongside a medical-malpractice complaint need not result in dismissal, a state appeals panel ruled this week.The case will return before a Kankakee County judge who can use her discretion to decide whether the plaintiff should receive an extension to amend the complaint.At a 2018 hearing on a motion to dismiss, 21st Judicial Circuit Judge Adrienne W. Albrecht held the law required her to dismiss the case with prejudice and that she had no discretion in the matter.Terrance Owens …