Judge Jack strikes again

Judge orders return of silicosis records
Firm delivers 1,900 X-rays from Houston
By Neal Falgoust Caller-TimesAugust 23, 2005

This article details how U.S. District Court Judge Janis Graham Jack threatened to hold a Houston plaintiffs lawyer in contempt for removing medical records involving Silicosis claims from a secure depository.

The article states that:

"Jack then ordered federal marshals to escort the attorney, Scott Hooper, from her courtroom while he made arrangements to have the documents returned from Houston to Corpus Christi. Hooper also was ordered not to leave Corpus Christi until the documents arrived, which they did."

"By about 4:30 p.m., more than 1,900 X-rays had arrived back at a local attorney's office. It was unclear exactly how many X-rays Hooper had removed. "

The article continues:

"A federal grand jury in Manhattan is investigating the procedures doctors used in diagnosing those plaintiffs and have contacted Jack's court about reviewing discovery evidence in the depository. Jack had ordered those documents to remain in the depository because of the pending federal investigation."

Judge Jack quipped to the attorney "I have to be real careful about what happens to these documents," Jack said. "If you have to pilot a jet to get them back here, you will do that."

The article concludes by noting:

"A federal grand jury is looking into whether the doctors' behavior involved criminal misconduct. Jack has said the doctors' testimony during a February hearing raised "great red flags of fraud."

"A congressional committee also has written to the doctors seeking explanations of the diagnoses."