Connecticut Personal Injury Blog - Miscellaneous

AMA Corrects Impairment Ratings Guide

James Sabatini — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:31:50 GMT

When the AMA published the Sixth Edition of its Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, it contained new language that restricted chiropractic evaluations to the spine only. The restriction drew sharp criticism from the American Chiropractic Association. In a letter to the AMA, the ACA questioned the legality of restrictive language related to evaluations by doctors of chiropractic and accused the AMA of violating the permanent Wilk injuction.

The AMA responded by issuing a correction. The Guide will state in relevant part that: "Impairment evaluation requires medical knowledge. Physicians duly recognized by an appropriate jurisdiction should perform such assessments within their applicable scope of practice and field of expertise." AMA will be mailing out the correction and future publication of the Guide will contain the corrective language. For all plaintiff's attorneys, any attempt by a defense lawyer during cross examination of a treating chiropractor who has testified as to a whole person impairment should do one of two things: 1) object to the cross examination on the grounds that the langauge being cited by the defense attorney from the Guide has been retracted and corrected; or 2) allow the questioning and then on re-direct present the fact that such language was subsequently corrected by the AMA. It is my opinion that the former is the better strategy.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Negligence Lawsuits Filed Against St. Francis Hospital - Failure To Supervise Dr. Reardon

James Sabatini — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:38:37 GMT

Two men who say they were sexually molested by Dr. George Reardon filed lawsuits Thursday against St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, claiming the hospital was negligent in its supervision of the doctor during the 30 years he practiced there. In the latest suits, the men say Reardon fondled and photographed them in his private St. Francis office during the 1970s or early 1980s. One suit claims Reardon took as many as 1,000 "sexualized" pictures of the plaintiff, both alone and posed with his three brothers. The lawsuits assert that St. Francis bears responsibility for the abuse because it failed to properly supervise Dr. Reardon, who was an employee of the hospital. At least 80 people so far have come forward with allegations of sexual molestation by Dr. Reardon during the time that he was employed by St. Francis Hospital.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Negligence Lawsuits Filed Against St. Francis Hospital - Failure to Supervise Dr. Reardon

James Sabatini — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:36:34 GMT

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Negligence Lawsuits Filed Against St. Francis Hospital - Failure to Supervise Dr. Reardon

James Sabatini — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:32:17 GMT

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Many Injured In Train Collision

James Sabatini — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:59:17 GMT

At least five Amtrak crew members were critically or seriously injured Friday when their train collided with a freight train traveling on the same track. About 100 or 150 passengers have been injured in this train collision in Chicago. The cause of the collision is under investigation.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Numerous Injuries In Train Crash

James Sabatini — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:52:51 GMT

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

CT Nursing Home Files For Chapter 11

James Sabatini — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:26:48 GMT

Haven Healthcare, the Connecticut nursing home operator has filed for bankruptcy. I recently blogged about this nursing home operator's CEO who funded a record label start up company while his company's nursing homes were failing to pay their bills. Haven's bankruptcy filing reveals that the company's 50 largest creditors are owed nearly $31 million.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced today that the state would file a motion to appoint an independent trustee to take control over the chain's nursing home operations throughout the state. Read more about the bankrupt Connecticut nursing home.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Nursing Home and Elder Abuse.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Nursing Home CEO Funds Record Label, But What About The Nursing Homes

James Sabatini — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 23:31:46 GMT

In late 2005, Haven Healthcare CEO Raymond Termini decided to pursue a longtime dream: He launched a record label in Nashville to produce both little-known and established country musicians. Within in a few months, the company gets the cash to sign major artists such as Travis Tritt. Back in Connecticut, residents of his nursing home in Jewett City spent a cold December night. After months of not being paid, the company that supplied heating oil to the nursing home had suspended deliveries. Is there a connection between the financial problems at the Connecticut nuring homes and the record company?

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

CT Nursing Home CEO Funds Record Label

James Sabatini — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:31:30 GMT

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Nursing Home and Elder Abuse.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Chicago Bishop Advocates Return Of Charitable Immunity For The Church

James Sabatini — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:57:36 GMT

A prominent Chicago bishop is suggesting legal changes that would shield Roman Catholic institutions from paying excessive damages in sex abuse lawsuits. The bishop claims that the civil lawsuits are jeopardizing the church.

Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki, a civil and canon lawyer and one of Cardinal Francis George's six active deputies, recently suggested in a homily to Catholic lawyers and judges that decisions to award large sums to victims of clergy abuse place an excessive burden on the free exercise of religion for American Catholics.

"This burden needs to be lifted," Paprocki said and to accomplish this he seeks the protection of charitable immunity. All states have removed charitable immunity as a shield for chruches in the wake of widespread sex abuse cases involving priests.

What this Bishop seems to have forgotten is that many of these lawsuits would not have been filed if the Church did its job and policed their own. To read more about the Bishop's thoughts, click here.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini