The Court’s review grew out of a case in which our firm represented two families whose breadwinners contracted MRSA at Advocate Christ Medical Center. One of the patients died.

In its ruling, the court rectified the injustice of the Circuit Court of Cook County by holding that information pertaining to the rates of MRSA in a hospital is not privileged under the Medical Studies Act. The decision requires the hospital to produce the information to the plaintiffs so that the families of the deceased may proceed with their claims.

MRSA has become a national crisis, and hospitals have been slow and unequal in their response. They can no longer hide behind the Medical Studies Act. The case is significant to Romanucci & Blandin’s efforts to ensure that hospitals are taking action to prevent the deadly spread of MRSA throughout Chicago area hospitals.

The decision will have a positive and significant impact on the rights of victims of medical malpractice. Because of this, it will be up to the juries to decide whether or not a hospital took adequate steps to combat MRSA outbreaks.

Titled “The Value of Mock Trials, Deliberations and Focus Groups,” Romanucci moderated the discussion of panelists who included John Gilleland, PhdD, Kroll Ontrack/Trial Graphix; Hon. Thomas Hogan, a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County; and Edward McCambridge, Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney.

The sold-out event also included sessions on Taped Mock Deliberations with Expert Commentary, Taped Focus Groups with Expert Commentary, The Benefits and Risks of Post-Trial Juror Interviews, and Your Ethical Boundaries for Juror Background Investigation.

We're not surprised because, even though Little League International banned the use of composite bats, they didn't rule out other metal bats. They should have!

Trey Brown came home from a local baseball game complaining of a headache and soon began vomiting. His parents took him to the hospital where x-rays showed he had a 1-1/2 inch brain bleed. When he started having seizures, the hospital put him in a medically induced coma.

Though he's out of the coma now and started making improvements, the hospital plans to keep him there for three weeks to three months for rehabilitation and recovery. Trey would have been on a baseball team this summer. Now he can't play for at least a year. His family says there's no doubt that alumninum bats should be abolished.

"If it had been a wooden bat, we probably wouldn't even be here," his dad was quoted as saying. "I would rather see aluminum bats just completely banned from baseball."

Christopher Coleman, 33, is on trial for the strangulation murder of his wife Sheri Coleman, 31, and sons Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9. Coleman worked as the security chief at Joyce Meyer Ministries based in Jefferson County and sought marital counseling from his own employer.

The lawsuit claims that the Ministries should have known Coleman was a threat to his family because he was sending threatening messages to his family from his employee issued laptop computer and cell phone. He was also travelling extensively for his job and was being accompanied by a woman not his wife with the knowledge of the Ministries.

Coleman was having an extramarital affair with this woman who was his wife’s friend, and he wanted a divorce from his wife. He developed a ruse through the Ministries to murder his family so that he could be with his girlfriend permanently.

“This tragic murder would have been preventable if Joyce Meyer Ministries had responded to the threats and the extramarital affair and warned Sheri appropriately,” said Romanucci. “As a result, the surviving kin, including Sheri Coleman’s mother, Angela DeCicco, and other close family members, have been permanently deprived of their love, companionship, society, support, guidance and affection during and for the remainder of their lives, and have incurred and become liable for large sums of money in funeral and burial expenses.”

In its ruling, the court said that a California law, which invalidated contracts banning class-action arbitration with businesses, was pre-empted by the Federal Arbitration Action. What led up to the case being heard by the high court was a dispute between AT&T Mobility and a California couple who opposed being charged a $30 sales tax for a so-called "free" cell phone.

The contract with AT&T Mobility called for arbitration of disputes and prohibited class-action arbitration. In their lawsuit, the couple sought class-action arbitration on the grounds that California case law says arbitration agreements banning class actions could be considered unconscionable and thus not enforceable.

Many agree that the decision is likely to have a huge impact.

It's just another example, we believe, of justice weighted against consumers and "pro" those who have financial power. There is simply no level playing field, and it's very unfortunate.

While bad food used to be the number-one hospital complaint, it's now the noise level, according to a front-page story in the Chicago Tribune . Noise can make patients sicker or at the very least, inhibit their recovery. The story notes a Johns Hopkins study showing sound levels have increased significantly since 1960.

Noise in hospitals increases heart rates, blood pressure, respiratory rates and cortisol levels. Patients recovering from surgery in noisy recovery rooms request more pain medication. The most sensitive patients -- pre-term infants -- have an increased risk of hearing loss, brain development, and speech problems when exposed to excessive noise.

At issue, according to one study, is whether hospital noise truly contributes to the ability to heal. One study showed that excessive noise slowed wound healing.

Contributing to the problem is technology. The information age brought with it alarms, motorized beds, monitors and bone-cutting tools. The hospital environment, with its hard, reverberating spaces, contributes to the problem.

Hospitals are beginning to take the noise issue seriously. At Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, a "silent" patient call button system has reduced intercom pages. Rush's new hospital, which will open next year, was designed to reduce noise by 90 percent. Hallways will be carpeted, the ventilation system will be quieter, and committees are even looking at adding more sound-absorbing artwork.

Some hospitals have installed a Yacker Tracker in the noisiest areas, like the nurses station. Originally marketed for use in school classrooms, the sound meter flashes red when it gets too noisy, but its overall effectiveness is unproven.

The back-story: the government released the first report of its type last week that lists errors and other adverse events among Medicare patients across the nation. Some say there could be inaccuracies in reporting, but it's a starting point as a way to improve patient care.

Here are some stats. Out of 129 hospitals in Illinois reporting, 106 had at least one incident of a patient falling, getting burned or another injury during their hospital stay. Some 83 hospitals had at least one incident of bloodstream infections associated with catheters placed in the hospital.

And all these mistakes were absolutely preventable! Scarey stuff.

Commonly used at amusement parks, fairs and malls, the inflatable spheres are often used by children. A rider climbs into the ball which is then zipped up. It rolls along the top of the water as the rider walks, much like a hampster on a wheel.

At least three states -- Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New Jersy -- have issued denials of a permit to use the balls.

A big concern is the lack of an emergency exit. The balls can be opened only from outside, not inside. Manufacturers say the balls are safe, with hundreds of thousands of them in use worldwide. The owner of a company that distributes the balls in the U.S. says he responded to the government's concerns by proposing the manufacturers install a handle inside so riders can open the ball.

The balls contain about 90 minutes worth of oxygen. A ride typically lasts five to seven minutes.

The Chicago Tribune reported Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are among states that "have issued denials of permit," according to Carl Purvis, a CPSC public affairs official. Manufacturers assert the product's safety. Purported water ball inventor Charles Jones said, "There are now hundreds of thousands of the water balls in use around the world being used safely," adding that the balls have approximately 90 minutes of oxygen. Peter Raidt of Miami's Eurobungy USA "said he responded to the commission's concerns two weeks ago by, among other things, proposing manufacturers install a handle inside the ball so riders can open the ball themselves."

According to a study by Christopher M. Barnes and David T. Wagner of Michigan State University, an increase in the number of job related injuries on Mondays directly following the switch to Daylight Saving Time, can affect sleep patterns and activity cycles.

On the Monday following the switch, when workers lose an average of 40 minutes sleep, they sustain more workplace injuries and suffer ones that are of greater severity. Interestingly, on Mondays following the shift to Standard Time, no significant loss of sleep or considerable increase in the number or severity of work related injuries were found.

The researchers suggest that in manufacturing jobs or on construction sites, for example, management schedule the more dangerous tasks during the later part of the week when the workers have already adapted to the time change.

For more information about the Christopher M. Barnes and David T. Wagner’s study, visit www.apa.org.

The Commission has administrative responsibility for the registration and discipline of Illinois lawyers. Members of its Hearing Board, who are appointed for a one-year term, sit in panels of three and preside over the hearing of disciplinary, disability, and reinstatement cases.

Blandin, who has been practicing law for nearly 25 years, received his law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1986 and his undergraduate degree from DePaul in 1983.

Concussions -- when the brain shakes around in the skull -- are serious no matter which sex or what age you are. Over one million people get concussions every year, though most of them mild. Another half million suffer severe concussions.

Recognizing the symptoms of a concussion is critical. If you have a headache, are dizzy, have trouble concentrating, are bothered by bright lights and noise, and have memory loss, you may have a mild concussion, so contact your doctor. He or she will make the decision about whether you should come in for neurological tests or go directly to the hospital for more extensive testing.

If the symptoms are even more severe and include temporary loss of consciousness, vomiting, trouble speaking, numbness in your limbs, get yourself to an emergency room. A CT scan may be used to assess whether you have a brain bleed like a hematoma that could lead to death.

There's only one cure for a concussion: physical and mental rest. Doctors advise patients not to engage in physical exercise and push themselves mentally. They also advise not taking aspirin or ibuprofen because they can lead to brain bleeds. Instead, take acetaminophen or put ice on your head. With proper care, most head injuries improve within a month.

The key to long-term recovery is to stay alert to any symptoms for weeks or even months after the injury, doctors say.

According to a study by Andrew Lincoln, who heads the Sports Medicine Research Center at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, in 2008 there were about five concussions for every 10,000 times kids got hit on the playing field. This compares with slightly more than 10,000 in 1997.

It’s unclear what drove the numbers up, but researchers say it’s likely a combination of the awareness of concussion’s signs and symptoms. Researchers recorded concussions at 25 schools over a nine-year period in six different sports each for boys and girls.

Concurrently, legislation continues to make its way through the Illinois House of Representatives that would provide new safeguards against rushing athletes back into games after they sustain concussions. School districts would be required to obtain a doctor’s written permission before a player, who may have received a concussion, could resume playing.

The move is part of a national wave of concern about the long-term risks associated with concussions. The NFL held a news conference last week and said it wants all 50 states and the District of Columbia to pass legislation that could cut down on concussions. A quicker route would be through federal legislation, and there is a bill pending in Congress on that issue. The GOP-led House is not likely to support the bill, so the matter will probably be left to the states.

Other research shows that repeated blows to the head can lead to depression, dementia and other mental health problems as victims age. The recent suicide of former Chicago Bears player Dave Duerson brought new attention to the issue.

The court held that a federal regulation, giving carmakers the option of installing either lap belts or lap belt/shoulder harnesses in rear-inner seats, does not preempt state law.

In reaching this result, and by correcting the misreading of a previous case, the court has deprived car manufacturers of one of their most readily used defenses to avoid liability. At the same time, the court handed car accident victims a chance to hold wrongdoers accountable, while simultaneously showing the important rule that the tort system plays in promoting public safety.

The ruling grew out of a case, Williamson v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc., in which a California family sued for the death of Thanh Williamson, who died eight and a half years ago in a car crash. The unanimous Supreme Court ruling held that the family of accident victims, in this case her husband and daughter, had the right to seek compensation from auto makers for personal injuries caused by their vehicles’ lack of shoulder harnesses.

The case stems from an accident on August 14, 2002, in which the Williamson family was traveling in a Mazda minivan. The mother, Thanh, was seated in the middle row. Coming in the opposite direction was an RV, towing a Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep came loose from the RV, crossed over into the Williamsons’ lane, and crashed into them. Ms. Williamson’s body jack-knived around the seatbelt, which had only a lap belt. She sustained severe abdominal injuries and internal bleeding, which later proved to be fatal.

Public Justice has been involved in the case for many years. The organization submitted an amicus brief that emphasized how lower courts had badly misapplied a previous case. They urged the high court to resolve the massive confusion it had caused. The Supreme Court did so.