Legal System Impacted By New Medical Understanding Of ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’
A pending appeal by a former San Diego daycare owner, jailed for 17 years after an infant died at her center, is at the forefront of new legal challenges. In other court news, two federal agencies back a Palo Alto family's cystic fibrosis-related lawsuit. And Oxnard will pay out $2.9 million to the family of a man who died in custody after he swallowed methamphetamines.
Reuters:
California 'Shaken Baby' Case In Vanguard Of New Legal Challenges
After 17 years in prison for an infant's death at her San Diego daycare center, Suzanne Johnson is in the forefront of legal challenges to "shaken baby syndrome" as courts catch up with medical advances in understanding the mechanisms of childhood brain trauma. A judge last month agreed Johnson deserved to be considered for a new trial in a case that hinged on the syndrome, a 1970s-era forensic diagnosis long accepted as sufficient to convict caretakers accused of harming and even killing babies. (Gorman, 2/9)
The San Jose Mercury News:
Palo Alto: Feds Back Student Transferred For Having Cystic Fibrosis Gene
A Palo Alto student who was temporarily moved to another school because he carries a genetic marker for cystic fibrosis will be backed by two federal agencies in his lawsuit against the school district for alleged discrimination and privacy violations. (Lee, 2/9)
The Ventura County Star:
Oxnard Agrees To Pay $2.9M To Family Of Man Who Died In Police Custody
Oxnard has agreed to pay $2.9 million to the family of a man who died in 2012 as police restrained him after he had swallowed a large amount of methamphetamine. In a negotiated settlement, the city will also pay the family of Robert Ramirez $1.03 million in attorney's fees and costs, Interim City Attorney Stephen Fischer said Monday. (Harris, 2/8)