Posted on 07/26/2007 4:52:26 PM PDT by wagglebee
Baton Rouge, LA (LifeNews.com) -- Just one day after a grand jury decided not to indict Dr. Anna Pou on charges that she allegedly euthanized patients in the dreadful aftermath following Hurricane Katrina, the state's attorney general will not drop the case. Attorney General Charles Foti has asked a state judge to release previously sealed documents.
Foti wants the judge to release documents that has been used in the investigation of the deaths at Memorial Medical Center. The documents were sealed when Foti gave Judge Calvin Johnson the search warrants, subpoena requests and other records in January 2006.
Judge Johnson set a hearing for August 6 on Foti's request.
Foti's actions are coming under fire from Pou's attorney, Rick Simmons, who told AP, "This is just character assassination without the opportunity to cross-examine or defend against it."
AP reports that Foti is denying that any politics or vindication of his own probe may be playing a role in his request to have the records unsealed.
"I really don't care how it affects my candidacy for re-election," he said.
Responding to the decision to drop the case against Pou, Foti said the grand jury made a mistake and blamed the Parish district attorney's office for not calling top witnesses to testify in the case. That included five medical experts he consulted.
Four patients were alleged to have been killed via euthanasia in the wake of the storm and two nurses, Cheri Landry and Lori Budo, saw their charges dismissed when they agreed to testify before a grand jury.
Just before the decision not to charge Pou, hundreds of New Orleans residents protested against the investigation. Pou was not at the rally, but Budo and Landry were in the crowd.
Pou has filed a lawsuit against the state of Louisiana and Foti for putting her under investigation for so long but bringing no charges in the case. But Foti’s office says he is not named in the lawsuit.
Pro-Life Ping
Ping
I’d say that that is a man who does not make decisions based upon public opinion polls or in order to save his political hide.
There are still a few politicians out there who place general principles over political ambition.
Another politically motivated prosecutor. That is often an oxymoron since most guys who run for prosecutor are politically motivated by definition. But Grand Jury proceedings are secret and this clown has no right asking the Judge to request the files just as Grand Juries are wrong when they want to write a report even when they don’t indict. A No Bill should end it (except for the civil suits). I knew at the time there as going to be hell to pay when it was disclosed that many nursing home people had not been evacuated (and could not be moved and lacked electricity anyway for dialysis and basic needs) and the remaining doctors and nurses did what they could to make them comfortable before they themselves left. What were they supposed to do, go down with the ship?
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Go AG Foti!
Go AG Foti!
Yes.
“Attorney General Charles Foti...”
This guy obviously hasn’t heard the new VERB on the street, “to Nifong,” meaning to irrevocably screw up your career, your marriage, your life, etc. ;)
P.S. I just patented that verb so don’t anyone steal it, LOL!
(Actually, it’s from the movie “King Pin” where the name of “Munson” ended up having the same connotation.)
I don’t understand why he’s rejecting the verdict of the jury not to indict Dr. Pou. Frankly, if it were me in that nursing home, facing a horrible, painful and frightening death with no other way out, I would want a Dr. Pou in attendance.
The animals who deserve censure are the damnable, corrupt and incompetent state and local politicians who failed to do their jobs.
If he pursues this issue I will fervently pray that he finds himself ill, conscious and immobilized in a deserted first floor hospital ward when the next hurricane and flood hits whatever city he’s in.
Death is comfortable? How about the doctors and nurses just leave without killing anyone?
Good on him! There was no excuse for this heinous act. I know that there were zero logistical support for a disaster like this, but couldn’t any of these idiots build a raft or something????
No, they weren’t supposed to go down with the ship. They should have built some darn rafts, and tow them with the rope, if that’s what it took. There were rescue helicopters that could have picked them all up.
I was told I could no longer swim, or do other fun stuff many years ago. I would endure the pain, and possibly drown to save another human being. Hell, I’d bust my ass to save an animal. Would you?
I think the prosecutor is doing the right thing.
“”I really don’t care how it affects my candidacy for re-election,””
Nuf said! Another Nifong.
The grand jury, who “heard the facts” weren’t given the facts after all. Some of the facts of the case were sealed, and hidden from the jury. The available witnesses weren’t even presented to the jury. And the jury was chosen from among New Orleans residents, who are predisposed to support the crime that was allegedly comitted.
Try again. But actually try this time.
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