Health Law

Michael Jackson’s Dad Plans to Sue Doc, Says Delayed 911 Call Likely Caused Son’s Death

Michael Jackson’s father plans to sue the doctor who was treating his son at the time of the famous pop singer’s death in Los Angeles last year, from what the Los Angeles coroner determined to be “acute propofol intoxication.” The powerful intravenous anesthetic allegedly was administered by Dr. Conrad Murray,…

Mar 30, 2010 5:29 PM CDT

White House Counsel’s Star Rises with Health Care Compromise

White House counsel Bob Bauer helped President Obama win passage of his health care legislation by negotiating an executive order banning abortion funding. Throughout the process, Bauer’s “political skills were as much on display as his legal ones, not to mention his diplomatic and nurturing ones,” the Washington Post reports.…

Mar 30, 2010 10:29 AM CDT

Baker & Hostetler Joins with 13 AGs to Fight Health Care Reform

Health care reform legislation finally won congressional approval Monday and was signed into law today by President Barack Obama. But opponents are already gearing up for what is expected to be an extended court battle against the new law. Among those leading the charge are David Rivkin Jr. and Lee…

Mar 23, 2010 10:07 PM CDT

If Doctors Ask the Right Questions, Patients Can Be Pointed Toward Legal Help

Training busy doctors to ask the right questions to identify legal issues in the midst of a medical exam can be a challenge. But a growing trend toward partnering hospitals with legal services clinics is helping low-income patients address the life issues that are exacerbating their medical problems, reports the…

Mar 23, 2010 9:34 PM CDT

State Bids to Block Health Reform Could Bring ‘Free-for-All Lawsuit’

A constitutional clash could emerge between the states and the federal government in a battle over the health reform law awaiting President Obama’s signature. Already, Idaho and Virginia have passed laws seeking to thwart the federal bill requiring individuals to carry health insurance, Reuters reports. In 36 other states, bills…

Mar 22, 2010 12:51 PM CDT

‘Smart Money’ Says Supreme Court Won’t Thwart Health Care Bill, Law Prof Says

The “smart money” says the U.S. Supreme Court won’t overturn the health care bill awaiting President Obama’s signature—but the smart money has been wrong before, a law professor says. Writing in the Washington Post, Georgetown University law professor Randy Barnett says the smart money doubted there were enough votes for…

Mar 22, 2010 12:13 PM CDT

Pay-for-Delay Ban Left Out of Health Care Bill

A patent law change that would have banned so-called pay-for-delay patent deals was not included in the landmark health-care reform bill approved Sunday evening. The historic legislation creates “a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system” and requires most Americans to have health insurance, the New York Times reports.…

Mar 22, 2010 11:38 AM CDT

Refused Liver Transplant Coverage, Man Pays for It Himself, Sues & Wins Legal Fees

A successful produce merchant, Ephram Nehme was able to pay for a liver transplant himself. That enabled him to have the life-saving surgery when his insurer—after initially approving coverage for the surgery—rejected his doctor’s recommendation to seek a transplant out-of-state, where the wait time was expected to be much shorter.…

Mar 16, 2010 6:37 PM CDT

Vaccine Court Finds No Thimerosal-Autism LInk

A special branch of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled today that the vaccine additive thimerosal is not to blame for autism. Today’s rulings in three test cases that thimerosal alone does not cause autism follow a ruling last year that thimerosal in combination with measles, mumps and rubella…

Mar 12, 2010 11:10 PM CST

Supreme Court to Decide Whether Compensation Law Bars Vaccine Suits

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a federal law bars a lawsuit that claims a vaccine caused a child’s seizures and developmental delays. The parents of Hannah Bruesewitz claim the girl was injured as a result of a design defect in the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine made by Wyeth,…

Mar 8, 2010 7:30 PM CST

Troutman Partner Settles With DOJ; Firm ‘Supports the Sense of Vindication’

Without admitting liability—and, according to a company press release, without making any monetary contribution—a partner of Troutman Sanders has agreed to participate in a $14 million civil settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice concerning an alleged $50 million health care kickbacks scheme involving a nursing home in which…

Mar 1, 2010 5:59 PM CST

Lawyer Whose Son Choked to Death on Hot Dog Fights for Warning Labels

A New Jersey lawyer whose 4-year-old son choked to death on a hot dog nine years ago has pushed for better labels on foods that pose choking hazards. Now Oscar Mayer and some other food makers have added warning labels, but more needs to be done, according to the crusading…

Feb 25, 2010 11:59 AM CST

7th Cir Stays Infomercial Pitchman’s Jail Term for Crashing Judge’s Computer

A federal appeals court has stayed an infomercial pitchman’s 30-day jail term for urging fans to send e-mails that crashed a judge’s computer. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave no reason for the stay, and will hear arguments on Kevin Trudeau’s case on Tuesday, reports the Chicago Tribune.…

Feb 18, 2010 11:54 PM CST

Top NY Court Reinstates Felony Charges Against PI Firm Over Retainer Filings

In the latest twist in an unusual criminal case against a law firm, New York’s top court has reinstated felony charges brought against Silverman & Taylor over alleged factual misstatements in filed retainer agreements. Initially convicted in 2005, following a two-week bench trial, of filing a false instrument, Silverman &…

Feb 16, 2010 9:54 PM CST

Munchausen Mom Gets 40 Years in Death of 2-Year-Old Daughter

A woman who was convicted of child abuse in West Virginia and sentenced to one year in jail after she was caught on tape in a hospital trying to smother her infant son was sentenced today to a 40-year prison term in Florida for the earlier suffocation death of her…

Feb 12, 2010 6:30 PM CST