PA Gag Order affects Personal Injury cases
Pennsylvania Law Prevents Poison Disclosure in Personal Injury Cases
A new Pennsylvania state law mandates disclosure of chemicals by drilling companies. The chemicals are pumped into the ground to remove natural gas. Doctors use the identification of chemicals to diagnose and treat exposure patients. This information is also important in personal injury cases. In an injury law case, the plaintiff must be able to prove that the injury was unavoidable and that it was directly caused by the actions or lack of actions taken by the defendant named in the suit.
This process has been somewhat defeated by state legislature. The drilling companies have declared the chemicals they are injecting into backyards are proprietary trade secrets. The new law creates a gag on doctors in that they are forbidden from disclosing to anyone, even their patients and other doctors, what chemicals are that have created sickness.
Pennsylvania is home to over 5 thousand oil and gas wells, with more been added regularly and often people express signs of sickness in close proximity to the wells. “Hydro-Fracking” uses nearly one thousand different chemicals to extract the gas.
The non-disclosure rule for doctors is buried in the middle of Act 13, a 174-page bill, and requires doctors to sign confidentiality agreements stating they will not disclose the names of the chemicals that are making people sick.
If you believe your sickness has been caused by a well or product that has been exposed to chemicals in Williamsport, or anywhere in Central Pennsylvania, contact the attorneys at Rudinski, Orso, and Associates.
Categories: Civil