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- Medical Malpractice
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Personal Injury and Automobile Accidents
- Virginia Seatbelts
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- Dog Bite Cases II
- Looking out for your teen driver
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- Hosting a Graduation Party in Virginia? Read This First!
- Virginia Beach Sheriffs Immune
- Chesapeake to Install Countdown Crosswalks
- Charlottesville, Virginia Police Taking Heat After Hitting Wheelchaired Pedestrian
Medical Malpractice
- More heparin deaths? Yes, its true.
- Joint Commission Targeting Children Medication Mix-Ups
- Finding The Best ER For Your Child
- Why Free Drug Samples Are a Bad Idea
- Knee and Hip Replacements Expected to Spike
- Supreme Court Grants Immunity for FDA Approved Medical Devices
- FDA Warns Doctors to Retrieve Device Fragments
DUI, Traffic and Criminal Law Defense
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- Can walking in a straight line really reveal that I’m unfit to drive?
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General
Firm News
Kaine announces newest attack on drunken driving
Christie Brinkley Divorce Case Settled
Shia LaBeouf receives DUI, cleared of blame in car crash
Police: charges pending against injured Virginia Beach motorcycle rider
Norfolk Police officer off the streets after DUI arrest
Bicyclist Killed After Being Struck By SUV
W&L professor formally sues Virginia Lottery
Salmonella can ride water into tomatoes
Cold Medication Use In Young Children Can Lead To Adverse Effects, Even Death
Man in critical condition after being hit by car in Norfolk
Firm Library
Personal Injury and Automobile Accidents
- Car Insurance Terms in Virginia
- What are Virginia's Laws Regarding Dog Bites?
- One in Three Va. Drivers Texting
- No Civil Liability for Hosts or Bars in Virginia
- Is Your Car Spying On You?
Medical Malpractice
- Switching to Electronic Health Records has Great Benefits, But Poses Liability for Hospitals
- Why is Heparin Killing Babies?
- Website Allows Consumers to Compare Hospitals
- Transient Ischemic Attacks & Strokes
- How Medical Mistakes are Costing U.S. Healthcare $8.8 Billion
DUI, Traffic and Criminal Law Defense
- Having one more for the road may skew breath tests
- Virginia DUI Laws for First Time Offenders
- Virginia Legislature Working to Repeal Fines
- Requesting a Restricted License in Virginia
- Ignition Interlock Devices & DUI Law
Divorce
General
Has Your Doctor Committed Medical Malpractice?
Dr. Enrique Tomeu was named as a defendant in seven medical malpractice lawsuits in a decade. After two settlements and a jury verdict against him, the doctor’s insurance carrier was out half a million dollars. He later closed up his obstetrics practice and left the area… for New Zealand.
Dr. Tomeu opened up a new obstetrics practice halfway across the world and continued his negligent ways. In New Zealand, Dr. Tomeu practiced for about a year before being found partially responsible for a baby’s death. When that happened, Dr. Tomeu packed up shop again, and this time opened a practice in North Carolina.
Dr. Tomeu’s case is a chief example of the need for wider dissemination of doctors’ medical malpractice histories. Put simply – if you knew your OB/GYN had been named in 7 lawsuits in 10 years, was found liable in a jury trial, and found responsible in the death of a New Zealand baby, wouldn’t you start shopping around for a new doctor?
Similar Occurrences
Each of the three cases that Dr. Tomeu’s insurance company ended up footing the bill for involved similar circumstances. In each of the cases, the baby delivered allegedly suffered from shoulder dystocia, a complication that occurs when the baby’s shoulder gets caught behind the mother’s pelvic bone during delivery. This causes the nerves that connect the baby’s shoulder, arm, and hand to the spinal cord to be stretched, torn, or pulled out of the spinal column. This injury commonly results in Erb’s palsy, a form of paralysis that can leave the shoulder, hand, and arm permanently disabled.
Making Doctor’s Information Public
So how would you know if your doctor had prior medical malpractice suits filed against him? In Virginia, you can look the Virginia Board of Medicine’s Practitioner Information website. This website requires doctors to provide their:
· Practice Information
· Education
· Years in Active Clinical Practice
· Board Certifications
· Hospital Affiliations
· Academic Appointments
· Publications
· Medicaid Participation
· Actions
· Felony Convictions
· Paid Claims in the Last Ten Years
However, because all of the information is self-reported, it is often incomplete. Virginia is requiring that its doctors include any and all disciplinary actions by the Board of Medical Examiners, however.
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Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
FAQs
Personal Injury and Automobile Accidents
- Do I need a specialty lawyer for my personal injury case?
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Medical Malpractice
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DUI, Traffic and Criminal Law Defense
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Business Litigation
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Divorce
- If your spouse is in the military and you have been married less than ten years, do you have any rights to the military pension?
- Do you have to have the agreement of your spouse to get divorced?
- How is it possible to agree on a divorce with the best possible outcome for both parties?
- Can I and my spouse use the same attorney for our divorce for the purpose of saving money?
- How likely is it for a father to retain custody of the children?