| Archive for August, 2009 |
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| Posted by Janice | Permalink | 3 Comments | Add a comment |
On August 1, USC Sociologist Karen Sternheimer was interviewed on National Public Radio regarding celebrity doctors and the possible peril they pose to those they are entrusted to heal. In the cases of Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith, Hippocrates himself might cringe at what he would see as a breach of the sacred, ethics-based oath that bears his name which doctors are sworn to uphold. Were their physicians so seduced by the lure of celebrity they stroked their patients’ egos in plying them with an overabundance of pharmaceuticals? A fine line is drawn between patient care and endeavoring to remain in the celebrity’s employ and “inner circle”, as well as using that status to build cache in the community and their medical practices.
When sizeable amounts of money and reputations are at stake, can these doctors risk alienating patients by not catering to their every whim? MJ and ANS are neither the first, nor the last celebrity patients of this questionable pursuit of wellness. It was announced MJ’s mother is considering filing a wrongful death suit against Conrad Murray who is already the focus of a manslaughter investigation. This litigation coupled with ANS’s physicians, who are already on the criminal hot seat, is just the beginning of a trend that could have Lady Justice prying open a Pandora’s Box of problems for the medical community.
August 18th, 2009
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| Posted by Janice | Permalink | 3 Comments | Add a comment |
Today’s hearing for Howard K. Stern and the doctors has been postponed. The clerk of the LA Superior Court said that Howard K. Stern and Khristine Eroshevich had “demurrer hearings” yesterday. For those of you who don’t know what a demurrer hearing is, it’s a written response to a complaint filed in a lawsuit which essentially pleads for dismissal on the point that even if the facts alleged in the complaint were true, there is no legal basis for a lawsuit. A hearing before a judge will then be held to determine the validity of the demurrer. No news on the outcome of this yet besides the hearing being postponed until October 5. Apparently, Sandeep Kapoor’s hearing was postponed until September 23rd. I don’t know if he’s trying to separate himself from Stern and Eroshevich, but I’ll continue to follow this and will let you all know what I find out.
August 12th, 2009
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| Posted by Janice | Permalink | 2 Comments | Add a comment |
Michael Jackson’s final days could be allegorized by an oil tanker colliding with a rocky shoreline, dumping millions of gallons of crude into a crystal-clear ocean. Part of the early warning system of that doomed craft was never functional – that of the naming of a guardian and custodian of Jackson’s children in the event he should become incapacitated. Thankfully, the wheels are now in motion to rectify both errors: we hope Katherine Jackson, though aged, proves to be a reliable guardian for her son’s offspring. Yesterday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Mitchell Beckloff, tapped Margaret G. Lodise, a partner at a downtown Los Angeles law firm specializing in probate matters, to serve as the children’s guardian ad litem in the settling of their father’s estate. Interestingly this is the same judge that first entertained some probate matters in the Estate of Anna Nicole Smith which I wrote about several months ago.
Lawyers for Katherine Jackson, 79, oppose certain elements of merchandising and memorabilia contracts hammered out by the estate administrators, John Branca and John McClain. The judge said today that he will ask for input from the children’s guardian before deciding whether to approve the contracts. The waters might be darkened by toxicity, but we trust Lady Justice’s rescue boat will intercede, restoring health and vitality to troubled waters.
August 12th, 2009
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| Posted by Janice | Permalink | 3 Comments | Add a comment |
As the old saying goes, there is no rest for the weary. Several weeks ago, I took a much-needed vacation to a small hamlet on the Baja Peninsula. That same region was awakened from its peaceful existence Monday by a series of 4 earthquakes of 5.0-magnitude or greater (the greatest being 6.9); they emanated from the narrow seaway between the Baja peninsula and Mexico’s mainland which reduced its chances of causing major damage, and they were felt as far away as San Diego and Phoenix. I know firsthand how unsettled one can become from these temblors. Let us be thankful these did not cause the destruction of those we reported earlier this year in Italy.
August 4th, 2009
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| Posted by Janice | Permalink | 4 Comments | Add a comment |
The kidnap and murder of 17 year old Lily Burk, daughter and only child of Southwestern University School of Law Adjunct Professor, Deborah Drooz, on the afternoon of July 26th casts a long shadow. Lily was picking up some papers for her mother at the landmark Bullocks-Wilshire campus in Los Angeles. When Lily approached her car, she was kidnapped by 50 year old parolee, Charlie Samuel. Samuel, just hours before, received a pass to leave a drug rehabilitation facility. Within minutes, surveillance cameras show him driving Lily’s Volvo away from the campus with her as a passenger. The aim of this kidnapping was presumably to secure cash from an ATM.
Footage taken at 3:35 p.m., about 30 minutes after she was abducted, shows Lily walking with Samuel up to a Union Bank on Second and San Pedro streets in Little Tokyo, where Lily tried, but failed, to extract money from an ATM using a credit card. Deeply troubling to police and many others is the fact that the bank video shows people walking past them, and even shows a customer using the ATM as they both walk away. Yet, through all this, Lily does not call out to them for help. The unsuccessful ATM outing presumably evoked Samuel’s wrath. Close to 4 p.m., Lily called her parents, asking how to withdraw money using a credit card. Lily’s parents advised her the card could not be used for that purpose.
At 4:52 p.m., police say Samuel parked Lily’s Volvo at 458 South Alameda Street, about five minutes away from the Little Tokyo Union Bank. Police believe Lily, who was about to star in her school’s production of David Mamet’s, The Boston Marriage, was dead by 5 p.m., due to blunt force trauma to her head. Fingerprints lifted from inside of the Volvo have been matched to Samuel, who reportedly made incriminating statements to detectives after his arrest. He has been charged with capital murder, kidnapping, and two counts of robbery. The Los Angeles District Attorney will determine whether to seek the death penalty. Officials believe Lily was killed within about 45 minutes of her last call to her parents, and hours before she was reported missing.
The questions pour freely from the masses. How could Lily be in danger at a university campus in broad daylight patrolled by security guards? This is also my alma mater, and due to the heavy security presence, I always felt so safe on campus. Will Samuel receive capital punishment? What could this incident mean in the wake of California lawmakers considering cuts to the state prison budget that could mean early release for more than 27,000 inmates? In this age of instant communication, why are we more vulnerable than ever? My prayers are with Lily’s parents, family and friends, and may justice be served swiftly!
August 3rd, 2009
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