News Release

March 2007:

SJC Decides Peer Review Case In Favor Of Franklin Medical Center
Represented By BR&G

In a February 27, 2007 decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the refusal of Franklin Medical Center, represented by BR&G's Francis D. Dibble, Jr., to release peer review documents to a former chief of its department of surgery. Overturning a decision of the Franklin County Superior Court in litigation filed by the surgeon to challenge a summary suspension, the SJC confirmed the scope of rights and obligations under state medical peer review statutes and ruled that there was no evidence of bad faith by the medical center's president in the peer review process. The decision is widely seen as a key affirmation of the confidentiality of the peer review process. You can find the decision here.

You can read a news account of the decision, including a quote from Mr. Dibble, here.