07/24/2015 // Hartford , CT, USA // cttriallawyers // Neil Ferstand // (press release)
CTLA's Civil Justice News offering for Connecticut Legislators this week covers a variety of topics beginning with proposed Congressional action affecting employment issues for pregnant but unmarried employees to a new online database showcasing the complication rates for 17K surgeons from across the U.S. In addition, we’ve included press coverage concerning a recent Georgia Supreme Court decision regarding qualifications for expert witnesses in medical malpractice cases and, further reporting on the current number of deaths associated with the GM ignition switch. These and coming news briefs are provided here to highlight the fundamental importance of our Right to Trial by Jury preserved in the 7th Amendment of our Constitution.
U.S. House Bill That Lets Bosses Fire Single Women For Getting Pregnant Gains Steam
Critics say the language could protect an employer who doesn't believe unmarried people should have sex outside of wedlock.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/first-amendment-defense-act_55a7ffe6e4b04740a3df4ca1
ProPublica
As a medical student, Florida spine surgeon Constantine Toumbis stabbed a friend outside a bar. Documents show he omitted or misrepresented his record in regulatory filings.
http://www.propublica.org/article/for-a-surgeon-with-a-history-of-complications-a-felony-past
Last week, ProPublica launched Surgeon Scorecard, our new database showcasing the complication rates of nearly 17,000 surgeons nationwide. For the first time, patients can now weigh surgeons’ past performance before going under the knife and doctors themselves can see where they stand relative to their peers.
http://www.propublica.org/podcast/item/we-go-behind-the-scenes-on-surgeon-scorecard/
Five decades after the Vietnam War began—and four decades after it ended— veterans exposed to the chemical brew dubbed Agent Orange are still fighting for compensation and benefits for themselves and their children.
And it turns out, not all veterans exposed to Agent Orange are being treated the same.
Georgia Justices Side With Plaintiffs Over Med-Mal Expert Qualifications
The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that trial judges should be given flexibility in determining whether an expert is qualified to testify in a medical malpractice case.
The June 13 decision said a Glynn County judge acted within his bounds in approving a surgeon to testify as an expert for a medical malpractice plaintiff, even though the doctor hadn't regularly performed the exact surgery at issue in recent years.
GM Ignition Switch Deaths and Injuries Total 393
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/gm-ignition-switch-deaths-injuries-total-393-32577792
Senators seek investigation of GI Bill funds at unaccredited schools
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