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"We'd like to think that doctors are somehow immune to the influence of advertising, but turns out they're human after all.
— Debbie C
Drug-Company Association Bans Freebies for Doctors
Another Giuliani Finds His Dream Deferred
Andrew Giuliani, son of the former New York mayor and Republican presidential candidate, has sued Duke University for kicking him off its golf team.
Bible Professor Will Leave Seminary Instead of Facing Hearing
The faculty member wrote a book expressing the view that human beings shaped the Bible, an idea deemed contrary to the conservative seminary’s faculty oath.
Purdue U. Scientist Appeals Findings of Research Misconduct
Rusi P. Taleyarkhan, a nuclear engineer, challenged a university panel that said he had misled other scientists about his research into nuclear fusion.
Embattled Congressman Calls for Investigation Into His Actions on Behalf of CCNY
Rep. Charles Rangel used Congressional letterhead to seek donations for an academic center bearing his name.
Baylor U. Regents Fire President, Citing Failure to Unite Campus
John M. Lilley, the university’s president since November 2005, had been at the center of several recent controversies.
Closed Out? Norman Finkelstein, Controversial Scholar Denied Tenure, Can't Find a Job. | 104
Group Argues That Out-of-Class Learning Is Domain of Faculty, Not Student Affairs | 92
Is There a 'Growing Backlash' Against the SAT? | 59
College Settles With Instructor Fired for Teaching Adam and Eve as Myth | 54
Fresh Artistic Controversy Hits Yale U. | 52
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April 18, 2007
Sovereign Immunity Will Protect Virginia Tech From Lawsuits
When students die on college campuses — whether in suicides or sports accidents or other incidents — grieving parents sometimes respond by accusing the institutions of negligence and filing suit.
But if the families of Virginia Tech students killed in Monday’s shootings try to sue the university, they will run into roadblocks, according to William E. Thro, solicitor general of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Under a legal concept known as sovereign immunity, Virginia law prohibits an individual from suing a state institution like Virginia Tech directly.
Family members of the gunman’s victims could file negligence lawsuits in state court against the commonwealth, but Mr. Thro said they could collect no more than $100,000 each — assuming they prevailed in litigation. He added that they would not be able to sue the state in federal court. —Andrea L. Foster
Posted on Wednesday April 18, 2007 | Permalink |Comments
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1) Does the recent (December 2006) Supreme Court ruling (albeit on a different topic – it revolved around a bankrkuptcy case) open any doors regards Virginia’s sovereign immunity status?
Also, what about the mental health facility/facilities Cho was taken to in 2005? Were they private companies and not state entities? If so, do they bear any legal responsibility, opening them up to lawsuits?
— Angela Lee Apr 20, 04:09 AM #