Over Diagnosing Epilepsy--the Bad Lawyer Takes it Personally

When the Blond Super Lawyer informed me that we were adopting a 14 month old boy that had in and out of foster families, she said it had been suggested--that this beautiful boy who has now been my son for 14 of his 15 years (and in my heart, always)--he might be epileptic. Supposedly, this explained why this perfectly healthy young guy had not been placed and was sitting in foster care as "special needs."

So the report at MLive.com which relates the account of the lawsuit filed over the former Dearborn, Michigan neurologist, Dr. Yasser Awaad has me pretty agitated.  According to a lawsuit filed against Awaad and the Oakwood Hospital of Dearborn, as a financial scam, Awaad, who fled to Saudi Arabia routinely misdiagnosed seizure disorders in children.  The hospital where Awaad worked paid penalties over the Medicare over billing caused by Awaad's practices. 

What I find infuriating is the damage done to children, you don't think about situations like the one involving my son, but I take it personally.  As I've said repeatedly, the chaos I created in my life is underscoring for me the truth, everything we do, large or small causes an effect good or ill.  Intentionally misdiagnosing children with disease for financial advantage is morally wrong. 

Lawyers Who Need a Smack

The legal tabloid, abovethelaw.com alerts us to this item at the Texas Lawyer Blog:  http://texaslawyer.typepad.com/texas_lawyer_blog/2009/11/lawyer-sues-church-homeless-day-center-in-houston.html

Yes, a Texas personal injury lawyer is suing a local church that operates a day care center for the homeless near his office.  Attorney Harry C. Arthur "seeks a minimum of $250,000 in damages from defendants Christ Church Cathedral and The Beacon to compensate him for the loss of rentals in his building and the loss of its market value. Arthur alleges The Beacon, which is operated by Cathedral Health & Outreach Ministries, has created a 'health hazard' in the area." 

Mr. Arthur's website notes that he "specializes in soft tissue injuries"--translation:  this is a bottom feeder, folks.  I recognize that I'm pretty hard on the cops, but generally speaking the police, professionally, have it all over lawyers.

Here's the Beacon's website:  http://www.chomhouston.org/default.aspx?name=chom.thebeacon

Above The Law--Always a Must Read

The Above The Law Blawg is a must read.  Provocative, hilarious, well-written, and a commentariat worth chuckling over.   One of their continuing items is the "lawsuit of the day/week,"  which features such items (I beat them to this oddity) as the following:  woman sues over headaches allegedly caused by shampoo bottle falling on her damn head.
see:  http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20091116/NEWS01/91116012/1079/

According to the lawsuit Mary Jones was at La' James International College, when a large shampoo bottle was dropped on her head causing her injuries:  to wit, two years of headaches.  Unfortunately, the Des Moines Register article leaves more questions than answers.  I confess that as I go through my day I will suffer intrusive thoughts of poor Mary and falling objects of all sorts that might harm her or others.

Seriously, though haven't personal injury attorneys done enough to undermine respect for the law?  Can you say McDonald's Hot Coffee?  Let me be clear, I fully confess to having played my part in this game.  I've represented some real doozy(s).

I promise, we will continue to explore the absurdities of a legal career built on the pursuit of the ambulance and the suffering of others, pro and con.  Yeah, I concede there are positives, whether the positives balance the insult to our intelligence remains to be seen.  What a noble profession the law is!