Hospitalized in Coma, Girl, 13, Is Ticketed for Jaywalking

Hit by a car as she was walking home from school on Tuesday, a Las Vegas eighth-grader is in the hospital in a medically induced coma. But that didn’t prevent police from ticketing Takara Davis, 13, for jaywalking, reports KLAS-TV. Since the teen was unable to accept the ticket, an…

Jan 6, 2011 5:35 PM CST

Vaccine Autism Study Was ‘Elaborate Fraud,’ Medical Journal Says

The first study linking vaccines to autism was “an elaborate fraud,” according to an editorial by a British medical journal. An accompanying story in the medical journal BMJ found that study author Andrew Wakefield misrepresented or changed the medical histories of the 12 children who were subjects of his 1998…

Jan 6, 2011 4:46 PM CST

US Aid Worker Who Spent Xmas in Haitian Jail Has Been Released, in Latest Child-Kidnap Case

After spending Chrismas in jail, an American who sold his Massachusetts contracting business and went to Haiti to help with relief efforts after the earthquake there early this year has been released. Accused by a Haitian man of taking his young son after the boy was brought to a hospital…

Dec 30, 2010 4:14 PM CST

‘Hostile Makeover’ Pits Employer Against Employee Concerning Unhealthy Habits

Two hospitals in Florida are part of a “hostile makeover” workplace trend: They are requiring job applicants to take a nicotine test, in order to screen out any who smoke, writes columnist Beth Kassab in the Orlando Sentinel. A majority of states ban such employer intrusion into a worker’s off-the-job…

Dec 14, 2010 11:56 PM CST

Holder Op-Ed: Health Care Challenges Are ‘Troubling’ and Wrong on the Law

Legal attacks on the insurance mandate in the new health care law are “troubling” and could have devastating consequences if they succeed, according to an op-ed by Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. Writing in the Washington Post, Holder and Sebelius say they…

Dec 14, 2010 12:27 PM CST

Judge Strikes Down Part of Health Care Law

A federal judge in Virginia has struck down the insurance mandate in the new health care law. The ruling (PDF) by U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson is the first to strike down any part of the law, CNN reports. The government has won two other rulings on the merits in…

Dec 13, 2010 5:25 PM CST

Every Day, DOJ Lawyer Deals with ‘Two or Three Cases of a Lifetime’

Former Jenner & Block partner Ian Gershengorn oversees a challenging assignment as director of the Justice Department’s Federal Programs Branch. “Every day,” Gershengorn told the New York Times, “I deal with two or three cases of a lifetime.” Gershengorn’s office represents the federal government in constitutional challenges, the Times explains.…

Dec 10, 2010 4:27 PM CST

Michael Vick Judge, Mellowed Since His Prosecutor Days, Is Happy for QB’s Success

The judge who sentenced NFL superstar Michael Vick to 23 months in prison is apparently a believer in rehabilitation—and a football fan. U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson tells the Washington Post that Vick is “having a terrific season” as a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. “He’s an example of how…

Dec 9, 2010 3:42 PM CST

Up In Smoke: Voter Reactions Have Some Saying It’s Time to Rethink Cannabis Regulation

Dec 1, 2010 7:50 AM CST

Medical Marijuana Is No Get-Rich-Quick Scheme

Dec 1, 2010 7:48 AM CST

Nine Health Law Lawyers Jump from Buchanan Ingersoll to Carlton Fields

Nine lawyers are leaving Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney to join the health care practice group at Carlton Fields in Tampa. The group is led by James Kennedy III, who practiced with Carlton Fields as a partner 18 years ago, according to a press release. Other one-time Carlton Fields lawyers are…

Nov 22, 2010 4:25 PM CST

Merck Wins Second of Three Fosamax Trials

A jury has ruled for Fosamax maker Merck on Friday in a suit by a woman who claimed the drug caused her jawbone to disintegrate. Merck had argued that the ailment suffered by plaintiff Judith Graves was caused by other health issues and other medications she was taking, the New…

Nov 22, 2010 3:33 PM CST

Caffeinated Alcoholic Drinks Face Fed Crackdown

Although gaining in popularity, beverages that contain high levels of alcohol and caffeine are dangerous and illegal, say federal officials prepared to clamp down sales. In a letter to four makers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that adding caffeine to alcohol was unsafe and…

Nov 17, 2010 7:12 PM CST

Ex-Glaxo Lawyer’s Defense in Criminal Case Raises Tricky Privilege Issues for Company, Experts Say

A retired in-house lawyer’s announced intent to rely on claimed legal advice from outside counsel in defending against criminal accusations of wrongdoing concerning her work at GlaxoSmithKline raises tricky privilege issues for the company, experts say. On the one hand, if former vice president and associate general counsel Lauren Stevens…

Nov 11, 2010 5:17 PM CST

Hospital Tries to Nix Power of Attorney After Daughter Seeks More Care for Her Mom

An adult daughter who holds a power of attorney to make medical decisions for her 86-year-old mother says Dolores Bedin, who is suffering from inoperable pancreatic cancer, isn’t strong enough to go home. But Northwestern Memorial Hospital disagrees. In an effort to get Bedin discharged, the medical center has asked…

Nov 9, 2010 3:13 PM CST