Anonymous Letter by Hospital Employee Inadmissible

By Michael Zerres

Another interesting aspect of the Liguori case, cited in the blog below, was the Court’s ruling that an anonymous letter apparently authored by a hospital employee was inadmissible. The letter, sent to the family of the deceased patient, was found to be hearsay (that is a statement offered by a witness not present at trial
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Informed Consent Not Needed During Emergency

By Michael Zerres

Normal Consent Rules Do Not Apply to Life-Threatening Situations In the recent decision of Liguori v. Hunter and others, decided July 24, 2006 (Docket #: A-1819-04T5), the Appellate Division ruled that, in the case of a life-threatening emergency, the normal need to obtain a patient’s “informed consent” does not apply. Here, the 71 year old
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Hospital Must Tell Patient of the Whereabouts of a Potential Nurse/Witness

By Michael Zerres

Even When Nurse Leaves Hospital’s Employment Sometimes, in a malpractice case against a physician, the plaintiff’s best witness may be a nurse who was also involved in the patient’s care. When the nurses notes don’t jive with the doctors, calling the nurse as a witness to counter the doctor’s description of events is a useful
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Need to Prove Causation, Too!

By Michael Zerres

Proving Negligence Not Enough… The Appellate Division’s decision in Stevenson v. Bobila on 6-26-06 underscores the need, in a medical malpractice case, to not only prove that the defendant doctor committed malpractice, i.e., was negligent, but also that the doctor’s negligence caused the patient actual harm. Sometimes this requires a separate expert on the issue
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