Whew and Yes! (I have been worried about this case.) -- Jury Rules for Hospital That Deported Patient

From The New York Times:

In a benchmark case dealing with the obligations of hospitals toward uninsured illegal immigrants, a jury in Stuart, Fla., decided Monday that Martin Memorial Medical Center did not act unreasonably when it chartered a plane and repatriated a severely brain-injured Guatemalan patient against the will of his guardian.

The case of Mr. Jiménez, which was featured in an in-depth report in The New York Times last summer, is believed to be the first to test the legality of patient repatriations and to judge the liability of the hospitals that undertake them. Such repatriations are a relatively rare but widespread practice, especially in cases involving catastrophic injuries or serious illnesses, where patients need continuing care that is not covered by Medicaid because of their immigration status.

[It was the subject of a 8-3-08 post entitled "Fascinating: Immigrants Deported by U.S. Hospitals -- Either do medical repatriations or 'we're unable to provide adequate care for our own citizens."]