Following a 4 week trial where Anthony Cocca, Esq. obtained a no cause verdict for our Emergency Medicine Resident Physician and 4 Emergency Department Nurses, the plaintiff appealed. In a written decision, the Appellate Division found in our client’s favor and affirmed the trial court’s rulings and preserved the jury’s unanimous no cause verdict. Join us in celebrating this hard-fought appellate victory!
Anthony Cocca Speaks at the New Jersey Bar Association's 22nd Annual Medical Malpractice Update
Anthony Cocca was selected by the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Medical Malpractice Special Committee and the Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE) to speak at the 22nd Annual Medical Malpractice Update. He addressed the Patient Safety Act, Self-Critical Analysis and his Supreme Court Case, Brugaletta v. Garcia, 234 N.J. 225 (2018).
Anthony Cocca, Esq., is one of the Best Lawyers For Families says New Jersey Family Magazine
Anthony Cocca, Esq., Managing Partner at Cocca & Cutinello, LLP has been nominated by the readers of New Jersey Family as one of New Jersey’s Best Lawyers for Families!
Look for it in the April, 2019 issue of New Jersey Family Magazine!
Join everyone at the firm in congratulating Anthony!
Katelyn E. Cutinello, Esq. argues in the New Jersey Supreme Court as NJDA Amicus
Cocca & Cutinello, LLP is proud to announce that, on September 13, 2018, Katelyn E. Cutinello, Esq. argued the Rodriguez v. Walmart case in the New Jersey Supreme Court as Amicus Curiae for the New Jersey Defense Association.
The Rodriguez case involves expert testimony concerning symptom magnification, somatization and malingering in personal injury cases. The appeal also dealt with the admissibility of prior accident and prior medical history.
Brugaletta v. Garcia, D.O., A Big Win in the New Jersey Supreme Court for Cocca & Cutinello
In the seminal case involving Hospital Internal Reviews, the Supreme Court Holds that Internal Reviews are not Discoverable in Medical Malpractice Cases
Brugaletta v. Garcia, D.O., et al., 2018 N.J. LEXIS 980 * | 2018 WL 3554635, Anthony Cocca argued the case at the New Jersey Supreme Court on behalf of Chilton Medical Center. The patient brought suit alleging a misdiagnosis by several of her physicians. Chilton Medical Center performed an internal review of a specific aspect of her care. Plaintiff petitioned the court for access to all the documents and information generated as a result of that internal review. The Trial Court granted plaintiff access to parts of the internal review documents and also ordered the hospital to designate the incident as a serious adverse preventable event and to report it to the patient and the Department of Health.
We appealed the trial court's ruling and won in the New Jersey Appellate Division in a case titled, Brugaletta v. Garcia, 448 N.J. Super. 404 (App. Div. 2017). Anthony Cocca argued that the trial court could not usurp the function of the hospital and substitute its judgment by re-designating an event and ordering Dept. of Health reporting or patient reporting; that the Patient Safety Act included an absolute privilege against disclosure of documents and information gathered during the deliberative process; and that deliberative and factual materials are protected whether or not the incident is reported to the Dept. of Health.
On appeal to the New Jersey Supreme Court, Anthony Cocca also successfully argued that the Patient Safety Act operated as an absolute protective shield to prevent plaintiffs from obtaining documents developed during that deliberative process and that the patients are always able to determine their treatment from the facility charting and records. In a landmark ruling the Supreme Court re-affirmed the Patient Safety Act's absolute privilege; affirmed that the Court may not substitute its judgment for that of a healthcare facility when deciding how to designate an event and whether to report it to the Dept. of Health; and the Court indicated that once suit is filed, a defendant healthcare facility should explain the facts, as contained in the facility charting, that led to the incident reporting instead of simply referring to voluminous hospital or healthcare facility charting. The court further found that patients benefit from the ruling because the confidentiality provisions of the Patient Safety Act ensure that after an adverse event, a hospital will undertake a thorough self-critical analysis in order to help prevent such incidents without fear of disclosure or reprisal. The decision also benefits litigants insofar as counsel for the healthcare facility should outline the basic facts of the adverse event, as they are already noted in the healthcare facility charting, to the litigants.
We congratulate Anthony, Katelyn & Priya and we recognize the hard work of our outstanding legal assistants Jessica & Nidian and office administrator, Paulina as well - it was truly a collaborative effort.
See the New Jersey Law Journal article here:
Katelyn E. Cutinello, Esq. is the New Jersey Defense Association Young Lawyer of the Year!
Katelyn E. Cutinello, Esq. has been named Young Lawyer of the Year by the New Jersey Defense Association (NJDA). Only one attorney per year is selected to be the NJDA's Young Lawyer of the Year.
Everyone at Cocca & Cutinello, LLP applauds this accomplishment and joins in celebrating this honor with Katelyn. It's well-deserved and we're all proud of her.
Please join the Cocca & Cutinello family in congratulating Katelyn!
Anthony Cocca, Esq. - NJICLE Speaker at the 22nd Annual Medical Malpractice Update
Anthony Cocca, Esq. has been asked to speak at the NJ State Bar Association's New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education concerning the confidentiality of adverse incident investigations and peer review at healthcare facilities.
Anthony Cocca, Esq. - Guest Speaker at the Society for Health Care Risk Management of NJ
Anthony Cocca has again been honored by the Society for Health Care Risk Management of New Jersey (SHCRMNJ) to update his May, 2018 presentation at the Society's Semi-Annual Education & Networking Seminar on November 9, 2018 regarding the implications of the anticipated decision in Brugaletta v. Garcia which he argued in the New Jersey Supreme Court on March 13, 2018.
Anthony Cocca - Speaker at the Society for Health Care Risk Management of NJ
Anthony Cocca has been asked by the Society for Health Care Risk Management of New Jersey (SHCRMNJ) to speak at its Semi-Annual Education & Networking Seminar on May 11, 2018 regarding New Jersey's Patient Safety Act and the implications of his pending New Jersey Supreme Court case on the topic.
http://shcrmnj.org/images/meeting/051118/shcrm_nj___may_11_2018_seminar_flyer.pdf
Brugaletta v. Garcia, M.D., et al. Confidentiality Under the Patient Safety Act
Anthony Cocca recently argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court regarding the limits of confidentiality under the Patient Safety Act as applied to occurrence reports generated by hospital staff.