A disturbing study by the Massachusetts General Hospital was reported in the December 6, 2007 issue of the Harvard Crimson Newspaper. The paper reported that the study disclosed that nearly half of the doctors surveyed are more likely to protect their colleagues than their patients. Forty percent of the doctors admitted to not reporting a serious medical error they had witnessed. Likewise, forty-five percent admitted to not reporting a physician who they knew to be impaired or incompetent.
Additionally, the study found that the physicians
(more…)

We have previously written about mandatory arbitration clauses. Just a few years ago, Congressional Republicans made it a priority to limit almost all litigation against businesses. Now, legislation is advancing which could make it easier for consumers to have their complaints heard in the courts. At issue is the fine print in many contracts for goods and services, such as credit cards and cell phones, requiring that any disputes be submitted to arbitration by a third party. Critics of these provisions contend that they deny
(more…)

Our motorcycle accident injury attorneys have successfully concluded a case involving a young man who lost control of his motorcycle in Carrollton, Georgia in May of 2005. The client was operating his motorcycle in the City of Carrollton near the Southwire Plant. As he approached a curb in the road, the lane was littered with gravel, dirt and other debris. The client had a split second to decide what action to take. Instead of attempting to engage his brakes, which he felt would result in
(more…)

Having seen past injuries and deaths occur because theater safety principles were disregarded in using orchestra pits in Atlanta, our Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog attorneys shuddered upon reading that it had happened again in Atlanta. A 17 year-old dancer wearing a Panda costume reportedly suffered critical injuries when she fell some 12 feet into the lowered orchestra pit of the Fox Theater, during a performance of the “Nutcracker” by the Atlanta Ballet.
The orchestra pit contained no orchestra, but was apparently lowered to this great
(more…)

Our dangerous drug attorneys often review cases in which an inappropriate drug was prescribed for a patient. Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 to represent consumers’ interest in Congress, the executive branch and the courts. In the latest newsletter from The Health Research Group, a division of Public Citizen, there is an interesting article concerning direct advertising by pharmaceutical companies.
The article points out that other than New Zealand, the United States is the only country that allows direct
(more…)

Last week, two Georgia nursing homes were added to the list of the worst in the country according to federal data.
The Place at Augusta and Shoreham of Marietta were cited for deficiencies and placed on the list of the worst nursing homes in the country by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These two homes in Georgia were among 54 nursing homes in 33 states that failed to improve quality of patient care and/or administrative services over the last year.
According to the
(more…)

The United States Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in a case which may have a major impact on lawsuits against medical device makers brought by patients who have been injured by defective products. The Supreme Court will be asked to consider whether patients can bring lawsuits over defective devices which have been cleared for sale by the Food and Drug Administrations’ approval process. In this case, a federal appeals court barred a suit which claims a New York man suffered permanent injury when a Medtronic
(more…)

On November 21, 2007, the Supreme Court of Georgia issued an important opinion in Dees, et al. v. Logan, involving uninsured motorist coverage in the state of Georgia. The question presented to the Supreme Court was whether a damage award to an insured can be offset by workers’ compensation or similar benefits paid to the insured. The Court answered with a resounding “No”.
Dees and his wife brought suit against a defendant seeking damages for injuries suffered in an automobile collision. The jury awarded the
(more…)

In the case of Green Tree Financial Corp. v. Bazzle, 123 S.Ct. 2402, (2003) the U.S. Supreme Court opened the doors to class action arbitrations. The Court held that if an arbitration clause is silent regarding class actions, it’s up to the arbitrator (applying state law) to decide whether class arbitration will proceed.
Banks, credit companies and employers which traditionally have favored mandatory arbitration clauses, have been adding waivers to arbitration contracts specifically exempting class actions from arbitration. Consumer lawyers have responded by challenging the
(more…)

It was reported today that a Rhode Island hospital has been fined $50,000 by the Rhode Island Department of Health and reprimanded after a doctor performed brain surgery on the wrong side of the patient’s head.
According to reports, this was the third time this year at the particular hospital that a doctor performed brain surgery on the wrong side of the patient’s head.
The most recent case happened last Friday when the Chief Resident began surgery on the wrong side of an 82 year-old
(more…)