Two weeks ago I wrote about a defense lawyer in a malpractice case being sanctioned for trying to intimidate the plaintiff’s expert witness. I’ve come across two recent Pennsylvania trial court opinions involving doctors and hospitals themselves being sanctioned for improper conduct.

First up is Borrero v. Lake Erie Women’s Center, et al., a shoulder dystocia birth injury case. (For some general background, see my Erb’s Palsy page.) Opinion is here. In discovery, the plaintiffs served Lake Erie Women’s Center and Hamot Medical Center standard interrogatories seeking “written policies in place in 2000 that pertain to or relate to … shoulder dystocia” and were told no such policies existed. At deposition, Hamot’s corporate designee confirmed there were no such policies, and that the only guide they used was Varney’s Midwifery. The case was tried twice, resulting in two mistrials, one for some problem mid-trial and the other for a deadlocked jury. I’m assuming it then sat for some time awaiting a new trial.

The same plaintiff’s lawyer, Patrick Loughren, then became involved in a separate shoulder dystocia case against Lake Erie Women’s Center and Hamot Medical Center while the case was already in suit. He learned that, in that case, the defendants had produced 56 pages of policies and procedures, including a specific protocol for shoulder dystocia.

“Oops” would be an understatement. “Pants on fire” would be more appropriate.Continue Reading Civil Sanctions Against Pennsylvania Doctors And Hospitals