Pulling Out The Big Guns. One of the largest environmental cases in New Jersey pitted the experts from the Erin Brockovich case against Ford Motor Co., accused of dumping toxic waste in a neighborhood where Native-Americans have lived for generations. Lawyers refused to discuss experts involved in this complex case, but aggressive reporting lead to key scientists who finally spoke on the record about their findings and strategies. The story took readers beyond dry, procedural hearings to understand the making of a blockbuster court battle. It identified and explained the nation’s largest environmental cases to give readers an appreciation for the scale of this litigation.
The Doctor Will See You If You Don’t Sue. This story warned readers of a disturbing trend: doctors, frustrated by high medical liability costs, are requiring patients to sign contracts promising to never sue for malpractice. Many patients said they learned of the new policies when they went for a check-up or for medical treatment. Some readers told us they refused to sign away their legal rights as a condition of treatment and found new doctors.
Ripping Off Dr. America. North Jersey’s best hospitals spend millions advertising their stellar cardiac and cancer care, but we found patients the hospitals never intended to attract: People from other countries jetting into the United States for treatment -and leaving without paying their bills. One hospital spent nearly $2 million for a year of medical treatment for a woman from the Dominican Republic. Some of these “medical tourists” take a taxi straight from the airport to the hospital. The story sparked volumes of letters from readers, many outraged that these foreign medical tourists were getting top treatment when so many in New Jersey have no insurance.