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Edwards Medical Scams
The Corner ^

Posted on 08/17/2004 11:46:14 AM PDT by gilliam

EDWARDS'S MEDICAL SCAMS [Ramesh Ponnuru]

A friend passes along this link [ http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040816-011234-1949r.htm ], along with the following comment: "Finally, someone has written an article about how John Edwards made his millions by suing obstetricians for cerebral palsy in newborns – a disease that is almost always genetic and has nothing to do with the obstetrician. Edwards punished these doctors with millions in damages for the crime of delivering babies. And as the article details, they and other doctors have learned their lesson: they stopped practicing in North Carolina, creating a crisis in access to healthcare for several specialties in that state.

Amazing. Everyone has heard about Haliburton and been told that there is something sleazy about it, even though the company won its first defense-supply contract under Clinton, and as V.P. Cheney divested himself of all stock in the company and has no financial interest in it. And at the same time, this golden-haired fraud has been shaking down baby doctors across North Carolina, creating a lack of access to specialty care and driving up North Carolinians’ premiums by at least $50 million. Now that we know as a fact that Edwards’s emotional jury arguments were based on bogus science, do you think that there’s any chance that he’ll give back his tens of millions in lawyers’ fees to the people of that state? Do you think that anyone will ever call him on it? Do you think that most people in this country will ever hear about how this con artist made his fortune?

Edwards is easily the most disturbing vice presidential candidate since Henry Wallace. Can you imagine what kinds of people he would be influencing Kerry to put on the federal bench? Forget about even the modest limits on damage awards and junk science imposed by the Supreme Court in recent years – they won’t survive the judges picked by the Baron & Budd ’04 Fundraising/ Judicial Selection committee. These gangsters are destroying this country’s sources of productivity and wealth, their confidante and front man has now been nominated to be next in line to the President, and all people know about is . . . Haliburton. At least there is finally this crack in the ice."

For those who didn't catch the Baron & Budd reference, here's something I wrote about the firm.

http://www.nationalreview.com/ponnuru/ponnuru200407150806.asp


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: edwards; healthcare; malpractice; rameshponnuru; tortreform

1 posted on 08/17/2004 11:46:18 AM PDT by gilliam
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To: gilliam
John Edwards made his millions by suing obstetricians for cerebral palsy in newborns – a disease that is almost always genetic and has nothing to do with the obstetrician. Edwards punished these doctors with millions in damages for the crime of delivering babies.

BTTT!!!!!!

2 posted on 08/17/2004 11:50:08 AM PDT by Brad’s Gramma (If only hamsters could vote.......)
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To: gilliam

The more we learn about pretty boy, the less we like him.


3 posted on 08/17/2004 11:55:03 AM PDT by smiley (Watch out Dems! I'm a William F. Buckley Conservative!!)
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To: gilliam
What EdWeirds did to North Carolina, he can do to all doctors in America. "

John Edwards made his millions by suing obstetricians for cerebral palsy in newborns – a disease that is almost always genetic and has nothing to do with the obstetrician. Edwards punished these doctors with millions in damages for the crime of delivering babies. And as the article details, they and other doctors have learned their lesson: they stopped practicing in North Carolina, creating a crisis in access to healthcare for several specialties in that state.

4 posted on 08/17/2004 11:56:03 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (I'm a donor to the Swift Boat Vets fund. Have you donated? If not please do it now!)
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To: gilliam
To a good liberal, obstetricians belong at the Planned Parenthood Clinic, not the maternity ward.
5 posted on 08/17/2004 11:57:23 AM PDT by Spok
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To: All

When these 2 far lefties are running for re-election in 4 years, and health care costs are getting higher and higher, who are they going to blame? The Republicans I suppose. And the media will let them get away with it. We are in grave danger....


6 posted on 08/17/2004 12:05:55 PM PDT by TNCMAXQ
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To: gilliam
I think President Bush has the most damaging and effective line aboout Edwards in his stump speech, and it is the reason why Edwards has been practically invisible on the campaign trail:

You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient, and pro-trial lawyer at the same time. We know which side my opponent is on. He put him on the ticket.

7 posted on 08/17/2004 12:10:37 PM PDT by Dems_R_Losers (Proud to be a Reagan Alumna!)
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To: gilliam

If the Democrats are successful, we will have a proven liar for President and a proven fraud for VicePresident. Sweet.


8 posted on 08/17/2004 12:20:46 PM PDT by JimSEA ( "More Bush, Less Taxes.")
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To: gilliam

What we have here are two democrats, kerry thinks life begins at conception but dosnt feel he has the right to tell women to stop murdering their babies, and Edwards who doesnt mind them being born as long as he can make millions suing the doctors. Nice folks these Dems pick to vote for.


9 posted on 08/17/2004 12:25:15 PM PDT by sgtbono2002 (I aint wrong, I aint sorry , and I am probably going to do it again.)
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To: Dems_R_Losers

Ay-Mayen!


10 posted on 08/17/2004 12:32:13 PM PDT by Dawgmeister
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To: Grampa Dave

Despite the overwrought claims of Edwards' dazzling legal skills, winning jury verdicts in personal injury cases has nothing to do with legal talent and everything to do with getting the right cases -- unless "talent" is taken to mean "having absolutely no shame." Edwards specialized in babies with cerebral palsy whom he claimed would have been spared the affliction if only the doctors had immediately performed Caesarean sections.

As a result of such lawsuits, there are now more than four times as many Caesarean sections as there were in 1970. But curiously, there has been no change in the rate of babies born with cerebral palsy. As The New York Times reported: "Studies indicate that in most cases, the disorder is caused by fetal brain injury long before labor begins." All those Caesareans have, however, increased the mother's risk of death, hemorrhage, infection, pulmonary embolism and Mendelson's syndrome.

In addition, the "little guys" Edwards claims to represent are having a lot more trouble finding doctors to deliver their babies these days as obstetricians leave the practice rather than pay malpractice insurance in excess of $100,000 a year.

In one of Edwards' silver-tongued arguments to the jury on behalf of a girl born with cerebral palsy, he claimed he was channeling the unborn baby girl, Jennifer Campbell, who was speaking to the jurors through him:

"She said at 3, 'I'm fine.' She said at 4, 'I'm having a little trouble, but I'm doing OK.' Five, she said, 'I'm having problems.' At 5:30, she said, 'I need out.'"

She's saying, "My lawyer needs a new Jaguar ... "

"She speaks to you through me and I have to tell you right now -- I didn't plan to talk about this -- right now I feel her. I feel her presence. She's inside me, and she's talking to you."

Well, tell her to pipe down, would you? I'm trying to hear the evidence in a malpractice lawsuit.

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde on the death of Little Nell, one must have a heart of stone to read this without laughing. What is this guy, a tent-show preacher? An off-the-strip Las Vegas lounge psychic couldn't get away with this routine.

Is Edwards able to channel any children right before an abortionist's fork is plunged into their tiny skulls? Why can't he hear those babies saying, "Let me live! Stop spraying this saline solution all over me!" Edwards must experience interference in channeling the voices of babies about to be aborted. Their liberal mothers' hands seem to muffle those voices.(from Ann Coulter)


11 posted on 08/17/2004 1:23:41 PM PDT by FormerACLUmember (Free Republic is 21st Century Samizdat)
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To: Grampa Dave

Thereafter, many women started opting for caesarians.

Guess what, the rate for cerebral palsy problems in birth never changed. Hence, John Edwards made a ton of money over a false medical claim. Statistical data now backs the doctors; it didn't then. We have John Edwards to thank for the new statistical data on c.p. birth problems due to malfeasance by doctors - no difference!

I hear this on Dr. Savage. Anyone have a link to this info?


12 posted on 08/17/2004 3:32:26 PM PDT by BushisTheMan
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To: BushisTheMan

That data should be available at the various state health depts or whatever they are called.


13 posted on 08/17/2004 3:49:02 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (I'm a donor to the Swift Boat Vets fund. Have you donated? If not please do it now!)
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To: Grampa Dave

That whole seance testimony was pathetic. Who was on that jury?

http://orsa.blogspot.com/2004/07/burydeadwards-2004.html


14 posted on 08/17/2004 8:52:12 PM PDT by .cnI redruM (Knight of The Mind - On Crusade Vs. Liberal Stupidity!!)
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