Jury sides with hospital in deportation case

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: CBS

In a case grabbing national attention, a jury in Stuart has sided with Martin Memorial Medical Center in a case where the hospital deported an undocumented immigrant.

In February 2000, Guatemalan immigrant Luis Jimenez suffered a serious brain injury, after being rear-ended by an uninsured driver, who lawyers say was drunk. Jimenez spent three years at Martin Memorial, and racked up a bill of more than $1.5 million. As soon as a state court judge ruled Jimenez could be deported, the hospital chartered a plane and sent Jimenez back to Guatemala.

Later an appeals court, and state Supreme Court, both ruled a state court has no authority to deport. So Jimenez's guardian sued Martin Memorial for false imprisonment.

But Monday in revealing their verdict, jurors determined Martin Memorial had not acted unreasonably and was not liable. Jimenez's guardian was seeking $1million for the man's care in Guatemala.


Read more: http://www.cbs12.com/news/jimenez-4719985-memorial-martin.html

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can some one see a jury bias in this case?

[yodoobo]

1. Jury bias? impossible to say based on article

Well its impossible to say based on the scant facts of the article.

The only information that we have about the jury is what its decision was. (Thats not to say the jury is right or wrong, just that we have no clues that indict what their bias is)


Given what a complete wreck our healthcare system is though, he is probably in much better shape in Guatamala. As there he'll get complete care and not have to worry about how to pay for it.

[AlphaCentauri]

3. the bias could come from a "patriotic nationalistic" jury vs. alien

Now for the health care he will in Guatemala, I had read that there is no road to the house where he is staying

[Sub Atomic]

6. There's no road to his house? Well then that settles it.

The American taxpayers should be on the hook for at least another $1.5MM for his health care.

:eyes:

[AlphaCentauri]

8. The school of the Americas has invested more money on Guatemalan soldiers training

paid by US taxpayer and where is the outrage?

[Sub Atomic]

9. Sorry, but I'm not going to be outraged by training manuals that were written before I was born.

And you have no idea what my own personal medical situation is nor do you know the things I have seen happen in the ER, specifically in Southern California.


If you want to be outraged at the Army training manuals from the 50s and early 60s, go right ahead. I'd rather focus on crap that's going on in this lifetime.

[AlphaCentauri]

10. I was visiting a family member in a hospital this morning

I was impressed how many people was lonely in their beds and rooms except for a few latinos that had visitors. So can imagine what your are talking about the ER.

[No Elephants]

5. How about our knowledge that hospitals don't have governmental powers, like

the power to deport? Guess he's lucky the hospital only deported him, instead of administering capital punishement.

[yodoobo]

12. That would be would an incorrect decision

Not that the were biased.

Unbiased jurys make wrong decisions every single day.

who knows. maybe they were all wearing white sheets, doing the KKK chant and worshiping george Bush back in the jury room.

Could be. Its just speculation.

[4lbs]

2. Any knowledge of whether that $1.5 million hospital bill was ever paid?

The family sued for $1 million, yet didn't pay the $1.5 million outstanding.

[No Elephants]

7. Hard to say what that $1.5 million was actually based on, isn't it?

I know my insurer never pays what the hospital charges. And even though my insurer pays only about half, the hospital is still making a tidy profit. $500,000 worth of meds and services a year, on average, for a guy who is probably on IV and not asking for anything? I tend to doubt it.

[4lbs]

11. When I was extremely sick in the hospital 9 years ago, my medical bill

for 6 months of "everything" service of medication, surgeries, blood tests, MRIs, X-rays, blood transfusions, etc., came to over $500,000.

However, my portion of the $500K I had to pay was 'just' $20,000.

My private medical insurance at the time, through my employer, paid 96% of the costs, and I was responsible for the remaining 4%.

So, I don't doubt $1.5 million to care for a severely injured patient, especially one with a major brain injury, for 3 years. That comes out to about $1350 a day.

[pennylane100]

4. did he carry uninsured motorist insurance,

that should have paid his hospital bills. Of course, it was probably hard to get if he was here illegally.

[Skipperoo]

13. Why didn't his cousin take him home here?

I'm wondering why his cousin didn't take him home and care for him. After he arrived in Guatemala it was determined that he doesn't need to be hospitalized which is my guess why he was desperate to go home in the first place.

Jimenez has lived six years now out of a hospital. His cousin could have taken him into his home in Florida at any time after he was stabilized but he didn't want to. I know I'd be miserable if I were confined in a hospital bed knowing that my mother and wife would care for me if only I could get back home.

[Startup]

14. I am somewhat shocked that people wouldn't allow him to go home.

The hospital clearly has gone above and beyond a minimum level of care. It is time for him to be among family.