Health Law

DOJ Labels Autism Claims ‘Junk Science’

A Justice Department official said claims that a vaccine additive causes autism are junk science, in opening arguments before a vaccine court yesterday. “Unfortunately, after five years, you’ll find a signal lack of support for their contentions,” said Vincent J. Matanoski, an assistant director in the department’s civil division. The…

Jun 12, 2007 4:29 PM CDT

Experts Prepare for Battle in Autism Case

About 20 experts are expected to testify in a case beginning this week before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that asks whether a vaccine preservative causes autism. Gary Golkiewicz, chief special master in the court, told the Washington Post that a ruling could be a year away. Cedillo v.…

Jun 11, 2007 5:31 PM CDT

TB Case Shines Light on Quarantine Laws

The case of lawyer and tuberculosis patient Andrew Speaker highlights health officials’ quest for the legal tools they need. Some states updated laws giving them the power to quarantine people following the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the Fulton County Daily Report. But others still have old laws on the…

Jun 8, 2007 1:18 PM CDT

ACLU: Botched Executions Need Scrutiny

A recent execution in Ohio took so long that the convict reportedly needed a bathroom break before he died. That’s just one reason why people need to know more about how the death penalty is imposed, including the identity of the executioners, says the American Civil Liberties Union. The organization’s…

Jun 5, 2007 7:56 PM CDT

Law School Lite: Master’s in Health Law

A handful of universities are offering a master’s degree in health law. Such programs teach students how to perform regulatory and compliance work, risk management and contract negotiations, according to the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.). “It’s a short version of law school,” Joshua Timari, a 2005 graduate of Seton…

Jun 5, 2007 3:26 PM CDT

Case to Determine Vaccine-Autism Link

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims is set to determine whether the preservative thimerosal in vaccines can cause autism. Cedillo v. Secretary of Health and Human Services is a test case, picked from more than 4,800 claims filed with the court, according to Legal Times. Three special masters will begin…

Jun 5, 2007 2:17 PM CDT

6th Circuit Axes Late-Term Abortion Ban; Fallout over Supreme Court Decision

A Michigan law banning late-term abortions is unconstitutional because it is overly broad and “unduly burdens” a woman’s right to an abortion, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided today. This is the third time that a Michigan law targeting so-called partial birth late-term abortions has been struck down,…

Jun 5, 2007 1:37 AM CDT

‘Dr. Death’ Continues Suicide Mission

Freed from prison on Friday after serving eight years for helping an ailing man commit suicide, Jack Kevorkian lost no time in stirring up new controversy. The former Pontiac, Michigan, pathologist and right-to-die activist, who by his own count has helped 130 persons commit suicide, promises to comply with the…

Jun 5, 2007 1:04 AM CDT

Doc: Vaccine Claims Risk Child Health

Litigation over some 4,800 autistic children allegedly injured as a result of being vaccinated could mean the end of much-needed programs to protect millions from potentially fatal diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. Even though the link between childhood vaccination and at least many of the injuries claimed,…

Jun 4, 2007 6:52 PM CDT

Attorney Tried Cases After TB Diagnosis

The attorney quarantined for tuberculosis tried cases for five months after his initial diagnosis. Andrew Speaker, a personal injury lawyer, says didn’t know he had a particularly virulent form of TB until he arrived in Europe last month for his wedding. After his first diagnosis in January, he tried cases…

Jun 1, 2007 9:03 PM CDT

‘Dr. Death’ Freed to Rejoin Suicide Fight

Jack Kevorkian, the so-called Dr. Death who reportedly helped an estimated 130 people, by his count, commit suicide, is to be freed from a Michigan prison today after serving eight years for second-degree murder in the death of a man stricken with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The 79-year-old former…

Jun 1, 2007 8:22 PM CDT

Lawsuits for Quarantined TB Lawyer?

An Atlanta personal injury lawyer stricken with an unusually severe case of tuberculosis and quarantined in a Denver hospital could soon be involved in cutting-edge litigation. Experts say Andrew Speaker, 31, could be either the plaintiff or the defendant in various potential claims. They include a suit by him against…

Jun 1, 2007 7:19 PM CDT

Quarantined TB Patient is Atlanta Lawyer

A 31-year-old lawyer from Atlanta is the “extensively drug-resistant” tuberculosis patient whose flight to Europe on commercial airlines, against medical advice, prompted the first federal quarantine order since 1963 last week. Despite being the subject of a no-fly order, due to his potentially fatal disease, Andrew Speaker went to Europe…

May 31, 2007 10:40 PM CDT

Med Mal Creates Unlikely Safety Teams

Stereotypically, those injured or killed by medical errors and their family members sue for redress. But some victims and their relatives are banding together in partnership with representatives of the very medical facility where the problems occurred, seeking to improve the situation for other patients. Sorrel King, for instance, and…

May 30, 2007 9:52 PM CDT

A $2.6 Million Verdict in Accutane Suit

An Atlantic City jury warded an Alabama man $2.62 million yesterday in his lawsuit against the makers of acne drug Accutane. The verdict against Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. of Nutley, N.J., is the first in a case claiming the drug causes inflammatory bowel disease, according to the Associated Press. Plaintiff Andrew…

May 30, 2007 4:13 PM CDT