Medical Jurisprudence Commons^™

Piroozi V. Eighth Jud. Dict. Ct., 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 100 (Dec. 31, 2015), Jessie Folkestad

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Real parties in interest, Hurst and Abbington sought and obtained a pretrial order from the district court barring petitioners, Dr. Piroozi and Dr. Blahnik, from arguing comparative fault of settled defendants at trial and including those defendants’ names on the verdict forms. In granting the Writ of Mandamus filed by the petitioners, the Supreme Court of Nevada resolved a conflict between NRS 41.141(3) and NRS 41A.045, holding that NRS 41A.045 preempts NRS 41.141(3) and entitles a defendant to argue the percentage of fault of settled defendants at trial and to include the settled defendant’s names on the jury verdict form.

Twenty-Week Abortion Bans: Ineffective, Unconstitutional And Unwise, Paul Benjamin Linton

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.

Constitutionalizing Fetal Rights: A Salutary Tale From Ireland, Fiona De Londras

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

In 1983, Ireland became the first country in the world to constitutionalize fetal rights. The 8th Amendment to the Constitution, passed by a referendum of the People, resulted in constitutional protection for “the right to life of the unborn,” which was deemed “equal” to the right to life of the “mother.” Since then, enshrining fetal rights in constitutions and in legislation has emerged as a key part of anti-abortion campaigning. This Article traces the constitutionalization of fetal rights in Ireland and its implications for law, politics, and women. In so doing, it provides a salutary tale of such an approach. …

Spending Medicare’S Dollars Wisely: Taking Aim At Hospitals’ Cultures Of Overtreatment, Jessica Mantel

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

With Medicare’s rising costs threatening the country’s fiscal health, policymakers have focused their attention on a primary cause of Medicare’s high price tag—the overtreatment of patients. Guided by professional norms that demand they do “everything possible” for their patients, physicians frequently order additional diagnostic tests, perform more procedures, utilize costly technologies, and provide more inpatient care. Much of this care, however, does not improve Medicare patients’ health, but only increases Medicare spending. Reducing the overtreatment of patients requires aligning physicians’ interests with the government’s goal of spending Medicare’s dollars wisely. Toward that end, recent Medicare payment reforms establish a range …

Common Law Fundamentals Of The Right To Abortion, Anita Bernstein

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Body Banking From The Bench To The Bedside, Natalie Ram

All Faculty Scholarship

How much is a kidney worth? An ounce of breast milk? Genetic material from an individual facing a Parkinson's diagnosis? In today's America, it depends on who is selling. One might think that such body products are beyond value or that their value depends on the individual characteristics of the supplier. But under existing American law and practices, what matters more is whether the seller is also the supplier of that body product, or whether the seller is another entity, such as a pharmaceutical company, hospital, or biobanker.

In Re Guardianship Of Hailu, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 89 (Nov. 16, 2015), Adrienne Brantley

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that under NRS § 451.007 (the Uniform Determination of Death Act) the District court failed to consider whether the American Association of Neurology (AAN) guidelines adequately measure all functions of the entire brain and whether the guidelines are considered accepted medical standards by states that have adopted the Act.

Between A Bed And A Hard Place: How Washington Can Keep Psychiatric Patients In Treatment And Off The Streets, Spencer Babbitt

Seattle University Law Review

On February 27, 2013, ten psychiatric patients were being involuntarily detained in hospital emergency departments located in Pierce County under Washington State’s Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA). Despite the name of the law that authorized their detainment, these individuals were not receiving any psychiatric treatment during their confinement. Nor were they there as the result of a criminal conviction. The only thing these ten detainees were guilty of was being mentally ill. Under what is now considered to have been a misinterpretation of the ITA, counties across Washington had for years been confining mentally ill patients in hospitals not certified to …

William Nathan Baxter V. Dignity Health, Et Al, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 76 (September 24, 2015), Andrea Orwoll

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court considered an appeal from a district court order dismissing a medical malpractice complaint. The Court held that because NRS § 41A.071 creates threshold requirements for bringing medical malpractice suits, it must be construed consistently with the liberal pleading requirements. The Court reversed and remanded.

A Historical Sketch Of Anglo-American Medical Law (With Emphasis On The Maxim Of Respondeat Superior), Dennis O. Norman

Akron Law Review

In MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE, the medical and legal professions are united to encompass a wide range of human activity. The spectrum of medical law is so broad that a thorough consideration of its historical development would require the writing of several volumes. Consequently, this article confines itself to a discussion of the primary origins and major developments of Anglo American medical jurisprudence. Special emphasis has been placed upon the agency concept of respondeat superior, since this doctrine plays a prominent role in medical law and since the doctrine has been used of late to significantly expand the potential liability of the …

Medical Malpractice - Statute Of Limitations - Foreign Objects - The Adoption Of The Discovery Rule - Legislative Or Judicial Prerogative? Melnyk V. Cleveland Clinic, Alan J. Sobol

Akron Law Review

The rationale of the Court was that Melnyk could be distinguished with the recent case of Wyler v. Tripi, which held that a cause of action for medical malpractice accrues at the latest when the physician-patient relationship terminates, and which also recognized the legislature's authority to act in this area, on the basis that Wyler was not a foreign object case. Therefore, the Court felt it need not disturb the Wyler holding and could nevertheless hold the failure to remove the foreign objects in Melnyk was negligence as a matter of law and that equity and public policy require …

A Hypothetical: Quinlan Under Ohio Law, Wendy C. Gerzog

Akron Law Review

WITH THE DECISION by all of the respondents in In re Quinlan not to appeal their case to the United States Supreme Court, the people in this country will have to wait for a definitive statement of law on a person's right to die and on a guardian's standing to assert that right for his ward. Because of the dearth of precedent in this area, each state court that is faced with the prospect of reviewing a case like Quinlan will have to grapple with its own constitutional and statutory schemes in order to make a determination of these difficult …

Employee Medical Reimbursement Plans In The Age Of Erisa, Robert D. Rosewater

Akron Law Review

THE EMPLOYEE MEDICAL reimbursement plan presents a new dimension in the spectrum of available corporate fringe benefits. Its attractiveness lies in the relative ease by which the plan may be adopted and administered as well as the favorable federal income tax consequences to both the corporation and its participating employees. These plans undoubtedly will proliferate as other traditional fringe benefits become less attractive due to changes in tax laws,2 as medical expenses continue to increase, and as the advantages of employee medical reimbursement plans become more widely known. The scope of this article is to discuss the purposes of these …

A Hypothetical: Quinlan Under Ohio Law, Wendy C. Gerzog

Akron Law Review

WITH THE DECISION by all of the respondents in In re Quinlan1 not to appeal their case to the United States Supreme Court,2 the people in this country will have to wait for a definitive statement of law on a person's right to die and on a guardian's standing to assert that right for his ward. Because of the dearth of precedent in this area, each state court that is faced with the prospect of reviewing a case like Quinlan will have to grapple with its own constitutional and statutory schemes in order to make a determination of these difficult …

Congress Takes A Look At A No-Fault Proposal For Medical Malpractice: Some Observations, David E. Beitzel

Akron Law Review

EVEN A CURSORY GLANCE at the news media in the recent past indicates that problems in the area of medical malpractice are rising to turbulent heights. For example, newspapers are increasingly printing long and passionate letters-to-the-editor dispraising numerous circumstances and individual types, which are allegedly the cause of the problem. The primary development, which caused the initiation of this storm, is the rising premium rate for medical malpractice insurance.' The pinch on the physician's pocketbook has resulted in outcries of frustration and anger from the medical community. Objects of these attacks have included the insurance industry, the legal profession, and …

Wrongful Birth; Preconception Torts; Duty To Inform Of Genetic Risks; Becker V. Schwartz, Gail White Sweeney

Akron Law Review

Both pairs of parents sued on their own behalfs for (1) the expenses incurred in the care and treatment of the infants and for (2) the mental distress caused them by the birth of a defective child. They also sought damages on behalf of the children for (3) wrongful life. The Court of Appeals acknowledged the first claim as valid, but dismissed the second and third. It dismissed the claims for damages for emotional distress on the precedent of its 1977 decision in Howard v. Lecher and upon the difficulty of ascertaining the value of mitigated damages prescribed by Restatement …

The Buying And Selling Of Human Organs From The Living: Why Not?, Timothy M. Hartman

Akron Law Review

This article will examine the propriety of establishing a system for the sale of human organs, especially the kidney. Initially, the debilitating malady of end stage renal disease will be discussed as will the marginal "cure" of the disease via hemodialysis. Next, the superior alternative to dialysis, i.e., kidney transplantation will be discussed in two ways. First, the current procedure of using living, related donors will be examined as well as harvesting kidneys from cadaver "donors". Second, the practice of transplantation will be explored for its ramifications to society and the participants in the following areas: medicine, psychology, and the …

Wrongful Life, Turpin V. Sortini, Janet A. Laufer

Akron Law Review

In the past fifteen years, several state appellate courts have considered wrongful birth and wrongful life causes of action. While the modern trend is to allow wrongful birth causes of action, few courts have permitted wrongful life actions to be maintained. On May 3, 1982, the California Supreme Court, in Turpin v. Sortini became the first state high court to allow a wrongful life cause of action. This casenote will examine the reasoning of the Turpin court in allowing the wrongful life claim. While Turpin appears to signal a new trend in this area of tort law, there is little …

Ohio's Statute Of Limitations, Baird V. Loeffler, Amy L. O'Neil

Akron Law Review

The decision in Baird v. Loeffler is another victory for physicians and medical malpractice insurers. It will not be well accepted by plaintiff's attorneys or by others who advocate the rights of patients, especially minors, to be compensated for injuries sustained by them due to a physician's negligence. The case focuses on an amendment to the Ohio Medical Malpractice Statute which became effective July 28, 1975. The issue in Baird is the proper statutory construction that should be given to the statute where a minor's cause of action arose prior to the effective date of the statute. In effect, the …

Right To Privacy; Removal Of Life-Support Systems; Leach V. Akron General Medical Center, Stephanie Zembar

Akron Law Review

The decision in Leach v. Akron General Medical Center, marked Summit County's acceptance of the trend allowing the removal of life support systems from an incompetent terminally ill patient. Technological advancements have enabled the medical profession to maintain a person indefinitely in a chronic vegetative state. These advancements have blurred traditional definitions of death and have raised legal, medical and ethical questions to be resolved within our court system. The Leach case was one of first impression in Ohio, and the decision should aid in establishing a framework from which members of the legal and medical professions, as well …

The Unconstitutionality Of Ohio's Medical Malpractice Statute Of Limitations: Minors And Equal Protection, Eric A. Brandt

Akron Law Review

As with all laws, statutes of limitations must apply equally to all persons unless reasonable grounds permit the legislating body to make distinctions between classes of persons affected by the law. Laws that operate unequally, unfairly and unreasonably when applied to the public are unconstitutional. The Ohio Supreme Court addressed was the constitutionality of an Ohio medical malpractice statute of limitations in Schwan v. Riverside Methodist Hospital.

Statute Of Limitations: Discovery Rule For Malpractice, Linda C. Ashar

Akron Law Review

IN OLIVER V. KAISER COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION the Ohio Supreme Court adopted the discovery standard for medical malpractice actions, which are subject to Ohio's one-year statute of limitations. In Oliver the court held that a medical malpractice cause of action "accrues and the statute of limitations commences to run when the patient discovers, or in the exercise of reasonable care and diligence should have discovered, the resulting injury." Shortly after Oliver, the court applied the discovery rule to legal malpractice cases in Skidmore & Hall v. Rottman. The discovery standard replaces Ohio's previously judicially adopted rule of termination of …

Issues Complicating Rights Of Spouses, Parents, And Children To Sue For Wrongful Death, Dale Katzenmeyer

Akron Law Review

There are two types of wrongful death statutes, the personal representative type, and the beneficiary type. With the personal representative type, the action is brought by the personal representative of the deceased on behalf of all persons statutorily eligible to benefit from the action. In the beneficiary type of statute, the statutorily authorized beneficiaries are joined together and bring the action in their own names.

Irrespective of the type of statute, the statutes seem to name clearly the persons who are acceptable beneficiaries. These beneficiaries, at a minimum, include spouses, parents and children. The difficult issues arise when the plaintiff …

Breach Of Medical Confidence In Ohio, Craig E. Johnston

Akron Law Review

Fortunately, the patchwork of state and federal statutory, administrative, and case law has greatly limited unrestricted disclosure of medical secrets through the threat of civil and criminal liability. While the law governing the disclosure of medical information sorely lacks a comprehensive approach, one overriding principle emerges from this patchwork: the concern for confidentiality represented in the Hippocratic Oath is alive in Ohio and should guide the release of any medical secrets in the state. There are several statutes that regulate the release of certain types of medical information. For example, information concerning patients suffering from alcohol or drug abuse is …

Recovery For The Wrongful Death Of A Viable Fetus: Werling V. Sandy, Janet I. Stich

Akron Law Review

In Werling v. Sandy, the Ohio Supreme Court held a viable fetus, negligently injured "en ventre sa mere" and subsequently stillborn, may be the basis for a wrongful death action pursuant to Ohio Rev. Code § 2125.01.1 The court's ruling represented Ohio's explicit acceptance of the trend allowing a wrongful death action for the death of a fetus. Although Werling was not a case of first impression in Ohio, it presented the Ohio Supreme Court with the first opportunity to expand the legal rights of the unborn.

The Gift Of Life: New Laws, Old Dilemmas, And The Future Of Organ Procurement, Juliana S. Moore

Akron Law Review

In Ohio, the recent enactment of the required request law has already helped grieving families to grapple with a loved one's death. Here and across the nation, modifications to organ donation statutes may provide the impetus to change the way a seemingly willing, but apprehensive population views organ donation. But the statutes governing this area are only one component of the fascinating concept of "giving life through death." Because a wealth of material already exists detailing narrow aspects of this area, the purpose of this comment is to present the reader with an informative overview of organ donation as it …

Updating Ohio's Medical Practice Act (O.R.C. 4731): Automatic And Summary Suspensions Of Physicians' Licenses, Lynne O'Neill

Akron Law Review

The main purpose of this comment is to review two major areas of change in Ohio's Medical Practice Act. The first area deals with automatic suspensions of physicians' licenses. The second area deals with summary suspensions of physicians' licenses. In both of these areas, the Ohio State Medical Board now has the authority to suspend a physician's license before conducting a disciplinary hearing.

Part I of this comment begins by reviewing the current composition of the Board so that the reader will understand how the Board functions in taking disciplinary action against a physician. Part I then explains the new …

Is Medical Thermography A Reliable Tool In Diagnosing Soft Tissue Injuries In Personal Injury Cases?, Gary L. Evans

Akron Law Review

Behind the mundane, albeit pressing and important questions as to whether and to what extent a thermographic exam changes the value of a case, there lurks a more basic issue; is thermography a legally and medically reliable tool in diagnosing soft tissue injuries? This article will examine that issue as it pertains to personal injury litigation and reach some qualified conclusions.

Part I discusses thermography in general and describes electronic and liquid crystal thermography in particular. Part II divides reliability into two categories in an attempt to distinguish between medical and legal reliability. Part III discusses possible impacts caused by …

Johnson V. University Hospitals Of Cleveland: Public Policy Over Traditional Principles, Robert A. Williams

Akron Law Review

This Note will examine the policies and principles relating to the recovery of child rearing expenses in wrongful pregnancy or wrongful conception actions. This Note contends that the Johnson majority overemphasized certain policy considerations and was mistaken in allowing these policies to override traditional legal principles.

Blood Donation: A Gift Of Life Or A Death Sentence?, Sharon L. Dieringer

Akron Law Review

Anyone who has AIDS is a victim. If AIDS produces a victim then who is the perpetrator? AIDS can be transmitted through intimate sexual contact, by sharing contaminated needles, via infected blood or blood products, and through passage of the virus from infected mothers to their newborns.

This comment will concentrate on transmission through infected blood or blood products, and the blood donor. The discussion will focus on the civil and criminal liabilities of a blood donor with the AIDS virus.