Posts by Christopher Nace
When Psychiatric Care Crosses the Line into Medical Malpractice
Most people associate medical malpractice with errors made by medical physicians in the care of their patients. However, just like medical doctors, psychiatrists have a duty to perform their professional duties with a reasonable standard of care. The personal nature of psychiatric treatment creates an extremely delicate relationship that can easily become inappropriate if the…
Read MoreBMW’s Parked Cars Are Spontaneously Combusting, and No One Seems to Know Why
There have been a number of vehicle recalls in the last three years that warranted serious investigation: Takat’s exploding airbags, Jeep’s defective gear shifters, Volkswagen’s faulty emissions testers. Not since the Ford Pinto, however, have we seen something as dangerous or as serious as this. BMW cars are spontaneously combusting even while they are turned…
Read MoreAmtrak Engineer Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter Stemming from the 2015 Derailment
In May of 2015, eight people died and more than 200 sustained injuries after an Amtrak train derailed outside of Philadelphia. Now, two years later, the victims and their families may actually obtain the justice they seek; The New York Times reports that the engineer, Brandon Bostian, was charged with involuntary manslaughter on May 12,…
Read MoreThe TLA-DC’s Annual Gala Was Truly An Affair to Remember
On May 13, 2017, the Trial Lawyers Association of Washington, DC hosted its 62nd Annual Awards Dinner, themed An Affair to Remember at the historic Howard Theater. This year’s gala was put together by Nace Law Group’s own Christopher T. Nace, who was elevated to the position of President of the TLA-DC at the event. Chris…
Read MoreCan Prescribing Doctors be Liable for Medication Addictions?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that prescription drug abuse is a larger problem than ever before, with the rate of opioid pain medication overdose deaths tripling between 1990 and 2010. Opioids are the most addictive types of pain medications, affecting the brain in a manner similar to heroin or cocaine. Pain medication addiction…
Read MorePatients are Dying from Sepsis While Doctors Wait for a Study
The Virginian Pilot recently reported about Dr. Paul Marik, a physician at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, who is successfully treating sepsis patients with a surprisingly simple concoction. While treating a patient with severe sepsis, the chief of pulmonary and critical care at Virginia Eastern Medical School decided to order IV infusions of a combination of…
Read MoreAre My Breast Implants Making Me Sick?
The fatal condition is not breast cancer, but a rare malignancy that develops in the immune system called anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. This non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer that attacks the cells of the immune system and that can develop in various areas of the body. In cases linked to breast cancer, the disease develops within…
Read More“Dr. Death” Gets Life Sentence for Intentionally Harming a Patient
The botched surgery for which Duntsch was convicted was a spinal fusion surgery on the 74-year-old patient, which took place in 2012. Duntsch was found directly responsible for intentionally harming the patient, who is now confined to a wheelchair because she is unable to walk, and has chronic pain from the procedure. He was said…
Read MoreWorkplace Wellness Programs and Employee Privacy: Do I Have to Share My Medical Records with My Boss?
What if you lived in a world where your boss could require you to undergo genetic testing–tests that reveal deeply personal information about you and your health–and then require you to share the results of those tests with them or face steep fines? Does this all sound like a creepy, Orwellian nightmare to you? Well,…
Read MoreOptometry Malpractice: How Much is Your Sight Worth?
When you think of how precious your eyesight is, you might become livid to think that an eye doctor’s negligent treatment caused you to lose it. You trust your doctor to have the training and expertise to treat you when you have an illness or an injury, and you trust him/her to refer you to…
Read MoreThe NFL Concussion Settlement is Now Open for Registration for Injured Former Players
In December of 2016, the National Football League (NFL) came to an agreement with retired players who are suffering from debilitating brain ailments caused by serious blows and multiple less-severe blows to the head during their football careers. The settlement, which might be worth as much as $1 billion and will cover almost every former…
Read MoreMaternal Mortality Rate on the Rise in the U.S.
In a country like the United States, that prides itself on a sophisticated health care system, maternal mortality rates in the U.S. are rising while the numbers are declining in almost everywhere else in the world. A study conducted by the Institute of World Health Metrics and Evaluation reports that there were 28 pregnancy complication…
Read MoreContaminated Medical Scopes Cause Potentially Deadly Infections
Duodenoscopes are small, tube-shaped medical devices used in a procedure called an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to diagnose health problems in the digestive tract. Due to a problem with cleaning these scopes, they can become infected with bacteria after being used on one patient which can then be transferred to the next patient. The U.S.…
Read MoreBotched Tonsillectomy Causes Brain Damage, and the Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Resulted in $12.7 Million Verdict
You might think that a tonsillectomy is a routine surgery that gets performed thousands of times each year without incident, and you would be correct. However, a Pennsylvania woman suffered brain damage after her breathing tube was removed too quickly after a routine tonsillectomy. A Montgomery County jury awarded her $12.7 million in compensatory damages…
Read MoreAnother Abilify Lawsuit Linked to Compulsive Gambling Losses
On November 1, 2016, a California woman named Chrystal Austin filed a lawsuit against Bristol Meyers-Squibb after having suffered excessive financial losses linked to a compulsive gambling problem caused by the drug Abilify. Ms. Austin claims that the drug maker failed to warn consumers about the impulse control side-effects before it caused her significant financial…
Read MoreApps Are to Blame for the Largest Spike in Traffic Fatalities in Decades
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that after almost fifty years of steady decline, the number of highway fatalities increased by the largest annual percentage last year. The numbers so far for 2016 look to be even worse. The NHTSA reports that in the first six months of 2016, the rate of…
Read MoreSon Files a Wrongful Death Prilosec Lawsuit on Behalf of Deceased Dad
Prilosec is an over-the-counter treatment for frequent heartburn. In November 2016, a man filed a wrongful death lawsuit against AstraZeneca, who manufactures Prilosec, claiming that the pharmaceutical giant failed to warn consumers about the risks of developing acute interstitial nephritis (AIN). Mr. Rodriguez’s wrongful death lawsuit (Rodriguez v. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP et al) was filed…
Read MoreNace Law Group, Named to Tier 1 Status in the 2017 Edition of Best Law Firms
Nace Law Group, is proud to announce that we have been awarded a “Best Law Firms” Tier 1 Status for our work in Plaintiffs Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation, by U.S. News – Best Lawyers for 2017. Attorneys Barry J. Nace and Christopher T. Nace have also been selected for the 23rd edition…
Read MoreFour Common Myths about Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice lawsuits receive a tremendous amount of news coverage when there are large verdicts involved. When there is a lot of publicity about a verdict in the millions of dollars, the general public might begin to get a distorted idea about the truth when it comes to real world medical malpractice lawsuits. Clearly there…
Read MoreAndroGel Testosterone-Replacement Defective Drug Bellwether Trials Set to Start
In August 2016, eight lawsuits were filed by people who used the testosterone-replacement therapy, AndroGel. In those lawsuits, the plaintiffs claim they experienced a number of adverse effects, including heart attacks, blood clots and strokes. These suits were approved to go to trial in 2017. United States District Judge Matthew Kennelly has approved four heart…
Read MoreWhat A Train Crash in Spain Can Teach Us in Washington, D.C.
On September 9, 2016, a Portuguese train derailed right at a station on the border of Spain and Portugal. The causes of the derailment are still under investigation. Two passengers (one from the U.S.), the driver and the conductor all died in the crash, but the rest of the passengers survived. “The front portion of…
Read MoreCosmetic and Plastic Surgery Medical Malpractice
If you think that cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery were just two different names for the same specialty, you would be incorrect, but you would have plenty of company. It is a common misconception that cosmetic and plastic surgery are the same. The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery describes cosmetic surgery as focused on enhancing…
Read MoreCan a Doctor be Held Liable for a Patient’s Opioid Abuse? A $17.6 Million Verdict Says “Yes”
A St. Louis jury awarded $17.6 million in damages to a couple who had filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a doctor for overprescribing opioid pain medication. The plaintiff, Brian Koon, was awarded $1.4 million and Michelle Koon, his estranged wife, was awarded $1.2 million. The remaining $15 million was awarded as punitive damages against…
Read MorePreventable Medical Errors Made in the Emergency Department
By their nature, emergency rooms are chaotic places. Medical staff receive patients from all walks of life with a range of injuries from cuts and lacerations to heart attack or stroke. Even in an environment of chaos and confusion, doctors call upon their years of study and training, and their skill acquired over their years…
Read MoreWashington, D.C. Lawmakers Are at Odds Over a Bill That Could End Contributory Negligence
There is a new bill in front of legislators that could put an end to the contributory negligence law as it applies to bicyclists and pedestrians. The bill has stalled for the moment, according to an article in GreaterGreaterWashington.com, but it is one we should all be behind in the end. Contributory negligence has been…
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