Guest post by Joe Hoft at JoeHoft.com – republished with permission.
Is Big Pharma Behind Copyright Claims in Legal Battle for Covenant Shooter’s Documents?
Republished with permission from AbleChild
According to The Tennessee Star, Ed Yarbrough, of the Spencer Fane Law Firm, who represents the Covenant Children’s Trust, has nothing to say about whether or not any financial compensation has been paid by the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) to the victims of its patient, Audrey Hale.
Remember the Covenant Children’s Trust claims to own the copyright of the shooter’s documents, including Hale’s mental health records and manifesto. Yarbrough was asked whether his client, the Covenant School or Covenant Presbyterian Church were approached by VUMC to discuss its potential civil liability over its treatment of Hale. What did Yarbrough have to say? Nothing. I’m “not able to comment.” Why?
Given the twenty-two years of mental health “treatment” at the hands of Vanderbilt’s psychiatrists, it seems logical that its failed mental health program for Hale would be a huge target for the families of the victims and others. So, the fact that Yarbrough is crickets about a payout one can’t help but wonder whether Big Pharma is involved.
Eerily, as if depicted for a Hollywood legal drama script, Yarbrough’s prestigious law firm, Spencer Fane, specializes in representing pharmaceutical manufacturers in high-stakes disputes relating to the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products. In fact, the firm claims to have been a leader in the Health and Life Sciences Industry, with a track record representing pharmaceutical manufactures in litigation.
And yes, Spencer Fane has represented psychiatry in lawsuits as well. The firm has extensive experience in health care law, including litigation involving psychiatric practices and mental health issues. For example, one of their attorneys, Justin Adams, has represented physicians in federal investigations of False Claims Act and Travel Act violations, including a psychiatric practice accused of wire fraud.
What are the odds this legal firm would find itself, on behalf of one of its clients, The Covenant Children’s Trust, in the middle of a mass murder case that involves psychiatric drugs, and its argument happens to be to suppress the mental health, drug records and writings of the mass shooter, Audrey Hale, under a copyright pitch that would certainly benefit its other, more robust, clients.
Are these legal tactics for a formidable defense against potential lawsuits ethical? It certainly raises questions about the integrity of the legal system and corporate accountability. Leaked search warrants revealed that multiple psychiatric drugs were involved in this mass shooting investigation. Is it the intention of the law firm to protect its pharmaceutical clients by withholding information about the shooter’s psychiatric drug use?
The law firm’s intent may appear to be an attempt to protect The Covenant Children’s Trust, but it also must acknowledge that the firm protects its pharma clients too. Given that so many of the school shooters and mass violence in general are tied to psychiatric drugs use, the pharmaceutical industry’s role in public health demands a higher standard of ethical conduct even when it may negatively impact a company’s bottom line.
It’s no secret that the pattern in the aftermath of the mass shootings is government “lessons learned” commissions that are stacked with stakeholders who refuse to address the mental health treatments, and further hamper investigative efforts with full-blown litigation that shutdown access to the mental health “treatments” of the perpetrators.
Audrey Hale’s mental health records fight is just another in a long line of mass shooters whose writings may help the public understand the shooters motives. How in the world does denying the public access to the records benefit the public? It doesn’t.
It’s not just law firms who seem to want to bury information about the shooters. The scientific community and healthcare professionals have a responsibility to advocate for transparency and ethical conduct in pharmaceutical research, treatment, and marketing. This includes pushing back against attempts to suppress or manipulate data that could impact patient/public safety. But they, too, are silent. Why wouldn’t Hale’s psychiatrists want to talk about the “treatment” provided to Hale over two decades? Maybe they know the “treatment” was a failure, Hale didn’t get better and, in fact, became a mass shooter under their care. Sadly, “lawyering up” seems to be what the mental health industry does best.
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