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Full-Text Articles in Law

The Decline Of Civil Jury Trials: A Positive Development, Myth, Or The End Of Justice As We Now Know It?, Xavier Rodriguez Jan 2014

The Decline Of Civil Jury Trials: A Positive Development, Myth, Or The End Of Justice As We Now Know It?, Xavier Rodriguez

St. Mary's Law Journal

Jury participation is helpful in many respects. It fosters an understanding of the third branch of government and the workings of the judicial system. It offers the opportunity for individuals to serve in a unique role: neutral factfinder. Moreover, in an age of declining voter participation, jury service provides individuals with the opportunity to directly participate in our governmental structure. Despite these positive attributes, jury trials as we knew them are on the decline. That may or may not be problematic, depending on what types of cases are being impacted. Where parties have reached a voluntary and informed settlement on …


Shoot Out At The Not-O.K. Corral Or Privileged Client Communications - Lost And Found In Texas., Walter W. Steele Jr. Jan 2002

Shoot Out At The Not-O.K. Corral Or Privileged Client Communications - Lost And Found In Texas., Walter W. Steele Jr.

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas’s solutions to inadvertently disclosed privileged material are unworkable. Confidentiality of client information is a bedrock of the legal profession. Nonetheless, some confidential information invariably leaks out. The most common leak occurs when a lawyer inadvertently includes privileged material in boxes of documents produced in response to a legitimate discovery request. After the opposing lawyer finds the “hot documents” in the box, the problems begin. The Texas Supreme Court adopted what amounts to the reasonable precautions test in Granada Corp. v. First Court of Appeals. The cornerstone of the Granada holding is the involuntary nature of the production of the …


Creative Sanctions For Discovery Abuse In Texas., Travis C. Headley Jan 2000

Creative Sanctions For Discovery Abuse In Texas., Travis C. Headley

St. Mary's Law Journal

Creative sanctions are necessary to deter litigants from abusing the discovery process. Under both the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, creative sanctions are allowed and within a judge’s discretion. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37 and Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 215 provide judges a non-exhaustive list of available sanctions to deter abusive discovery practices. Nonetheless, discovery abuse has continued to escalate, and limited precedence exists in the field despite the increased use of sanctions. An unprecedented creative sanction was imposed by Judge Brotman of the District Court for the Virgin Islands. On …


The Discovery Of Medical Records Maintained By Health Care Facilities: Inconsistent Law In Need Of Legislative Correction, Susan O. Scheutzow, Anthea R. Daniels Jan 1991

The Discovery Of Medical Records Maintained By Health Care Facilities: Inconsistent Law In Need Of Legislative Correction, Susan O. Scheutzow, Anthea R. Daniels

Journal of Law and Health

This article will review current law in Ohio regarding the protection of medical records maintained by Ohio health care facilities. The Ohio law of privileged communications between health care professionals and patients also will be traced to show how only communications between patients and their physicians, dentists, psychologists, and social workers are currently protected. Since similar public policy reasons may apply to the protection of communications between a wider range of health care professionals and their patients as those communications with physicians, dentists, psychologists, and social workers, this article will discuss why the public policy reasons supporting the initial adoption …


Peer Review Committee Minutes And Memoranda: Non-Discoverable At All Costs, Howard S. Rabb Jan 1986

Peer Review Committee Minutes And Memoranda: Non-Discoverable At All Costs, Howard S. Rabb

Journal of Law and Health

The purpose of this article is to illustrate the inherent problems of blanket peer review confidentiality and to suggest a more equitable approach. Part I traces the deveopment of reviewing hospital quality and explains the operation and justifications of peer review committees. In Part II, the arguments supporting confidentiality are compared with the public policy favoring proper disposition of corporate negligence cases in order to determine and recommend the correct level of confidentiality. In Part III, the peer review discovery statute in section 2305.251 of the Ohio Revised COde is critically evaluated for its practical value to the advancement of …