I have long advocated for the overturning of the Feres Doctrine, a nearly 60-year-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling that bars active-duty military personnel from receiving compensation for injuries they suffer due to medical malpractice. The rule denies basic protections and protections to the very people who have done the most to earn those rights and protections and guarantee them for other Americans through their service to the country.
So I was pleased to see the members of the U.S. House of Representative Judiciary Committee earlier this week sent legislation that would invalidate the Feres Doctrine to the full House for a vote. According to an Air Force Times report, the Carmelo Rodriguez Military Medical Accountability Act is named after a Marine Corps sergeant who died at 29 of melanoma after military doctors withheld their diagnosis from him for 10 years. Like every other active-duty military member since 1950, neither Rodriguez nor his family could seek justice once the gross malpractice of the military doctors came to light.
The bill to overturn the Feres Doctrine may face tough opposition in the Senate, according to the Air Force Times, but at least federal legislators are beginning to recognize the injustice the rule perpetuates. As a member of law practice dedicated to representing victims of medical malpractice, I know how devastating errors and negligence by doctors, nurses, surgeons and pharmacists can be. I hope military members will soon no longer be left to suffer the consequences of medical malpractice without relief.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and our attorneys have experience handling medical malpractice cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. In addition, check out our FREE special reports on the Top 10 Tips from a Medical Malpractice Insider and the top 5 surgical errors you must know about. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) and we also have a North Carolina (NC) law office. Our lawyers hold licenses in NC, SC, WV, KY and DC. We are ready to talk to you by phone right now—we provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.
EJL
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
One Comment
Mike Bryant
It is amazing that this isn't seen as a way to protect our troops and insure they get the justice that they are asked to fight and sometimes die for.
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