Health Law

A Slew of Lawyer Ads Follow Hepatitis Outbreak

Lawyers responded quickly after Las Vegas shut down an endoscopy center accused of reusing syringes and infecting at least six patients with hepatitis. They rushed to place ads seeking clients on the airwaves, in newspapers and on the Internet. One lawyer is seeking clients on Craigslist, the Las Vegas Sun…

Mar 5, 2008 4:05 PM CST

Vioxx Deal Goes Forward With 93 Percent Participation

A $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement remains on track with the disclosure that more than 93 percent of the claimants filed forms indicating they plan to participate. Merck & Co. says more than 44,000 of 47,000 claimants submitted at least some of the documents needed to claim a share of the…

Mar 4, 2008 1:13 PM CST

Pfizer Stock and the Chief Justice’s Recusal Policy Led to 4-4 Drug Case Split

Chief Justice John G. Roberts owns Pfizer stock valued between $5,001 and $50,000, according to his financial statements, and that’s apparently the reason he did not take part in yesterday’s split decision that allowed a lawsuit to proceed against the company. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 4-4 vote had the effect…

Mar 4, 2008 12:10 PM CST

Court Splits in Diabetes Drug Case, Allowing Lawsuit to Proceed

The U.S. Supreme Court’s divided ruling in a diabetes drug case today has the effect of allowing a lawsuit to proceed, SCOTUSblog reports. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. did not participate in the case, which was argued last Monday. The lawsuit contends a pharmaceutical company withheld information about liver…

Mar 3, 2008 3:37 PM CST

Lawyer Charged for Advising Nurses Who Quit Their Jobs

A New York lawyer who told 10 nurses that they were free to quit their jobs at a nursing home has been charged (PDF) with endangering the welfare of patients there. Felix Vinluan says he simply told the nurses, who had been recruited from the Philippines, that the facility had…

Feb 27, 2008 12:04 PM CST

Calif. Docs Say Blue Cross Illegally Seeks Patient Info

Physicians are protesting what they say is a new and unprecedented plan by Blue Cross of California to require doctors to collect and report to health insurers patient information that could eliminate their medical coverage. “The California Medical Association sent a letter to state regulators Friday urging them to order…

Feb 12, 2008 8:05 PM CST

Merck Agrees to $650M Settlement in Medicaid Health Care Fraud Case

Without admitting liability, Merck & Co. has agreed to pay a total of more than $650 million to plaintiffs including the federal government, 49 states and the District of Columbia, to settle allegations that the pharmaceutical company engaged in health care fraud by violating Medicaid rules. The settlement, according to…

Feb 7, 2008 9:30 PM CST

Informed Consent Forms Now Written for Patients, Not Lawyers

Once considered an “administrative nuisance” by many practitioners, informed consent has become a hot trend in modern medicine. Informed consent forms detailing the risks, benefits and agreements made prior to nonemergency treatment are now being written in clear, comprehensible English, rather than legalese, at medical facilities at the forefront of…

Feb 6, 2008 8:44 PM CST

Bringing Body Worlds to Your Living Room ... Legally

A German anatomist whose partially dissected, sliced collection of preserved human corpses has been seen by millions throughout Europe and the United States in controversial “Body Worlds” museum exhibits now plans to expand his market. Gunther von Hagens expects to sell portions of the bodies of humans—and pets—for home display,…

Feb 5, 2008 4:32 PM CST

Oregon’s High Court Re-Reaffirms $79M Philip Morris Verdict

For the third time, Oregon’s high court has upheld a $79.5 million punitive-damages verdict against Philip Morris after the case was twice kicked back to them from the U.S. Supreme Court. Central to arguments in the case are jury instructions. The Oregon court has ruled that jury instructions proposed by…

Jan 31, 2008 10:12 PM CST

Eli Lilly Considers $1B Zyprexa Settlement

Eli Lilly is discussing a possible $1 billion settlement of criminal and civil investigations into the company’s marketing of the anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa. The $1 billion fine, which would be paid to state and federal governments, would be the largest ever paid by a drug company for improper marketing practices,…

Jan 31, 2008 1:26 PM CST

Pediatric Group Releases Mercury-Autism Study, Condemns New Lawyer Drama

A pediatric journal has released details of a vaccine study earlier than usual to counter possible negative publicity from a new ABC television pilot set to air Thursday in which a lawyer argues that a flu vaccine caused a child’s autism. The study in the February issue of the journal…

Jan 31, 2008 12:15 AM CST

Wash. Supervision Evaluated After Man Deemed ‘Dangerous’ is Accused of Murder

Seattle-area prosecutors are looking into why a man, already labeled by the courts and mental health authorities as “dangerous,” was free at the time he is accused of following a woman then stabbing her to death. James Anthony Williams was release from prison two years ago and had been repeatedly…

Jan 30, 2008 6:34 PM CST

Fosamax Cases Build Against Merck

Merck & Co. is facing an increasing number of lawsuits over its osteoporosis drug Fosamax, even as it has announced a possible $4.85 billion settlement of claims related to its painkiller Vioxx. The roughly 340 Fosamax suits filed as of Sept. 30 claim the drug can cause a bone-wasting condition…

Jan 30, 2008 5:04 PM CST

Law Prof Named Prison Healthcare Czar in Calif.

A federal judge abruptly fired California’s prison healthcare czar last week and appointed a law professor, known for his ability to turn around troubled government agencies, to take his place. U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson of San Francisco dismissed Robert Sillen, whom he’d appointed to run the state’s troubled prison…

Jan 28, 2008 5:14 PM CST