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Judge Jordan's Ruling Leads to Change in Hospital Visitation Rights

We analyzed Judge Jordan's ruling last year in the Langbehn/Jackson Memorial gay visitation dispute here.

While I wasn't exactly thrilled with the outcome, I found his ruling sensitive, rational, and fair given the messed up state of Florida's tort jurisprudence.

Now we see all the advocacy and publicity has paid off (depending on your point of view):

Gay rights advocates said the rules change was inspired by one of those cases involving a same-sex couple, Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond, who were profiled in The New York Times last year. After Ms. Pond was stricken with a fatal brain aneurysm, Ms. Langbehn was denied visiting rights in 2007 by a Florida hospital. Although Ms. Langbehn had power of attorney and she and Ms. Pond were parents to four children they had adopted, the hospital refused for eight hours to allow her and the children to see Ms. Pond, her partner for 18 years. Ms. Pond died as Ms. Langbehn tried in vain to get to her side.

Ms. Langbehn, represented by Lambda Legal, a legal advocacy organization, brought suit against the hospital, Jackson Memorial in Miami, but lost. On Thursday night, Mr. Obama called her from Air Force One to say that he had been moved by her case.

?I was so humbled that he would know Lisa?s name and know our story,? Ms. Langbehn said in a telephone interview. ?He apologized for how we were treated. For the last three years, that?s what I?ve been asking the hospital to do. Even now, three years later, they still refuse to apologize to the children and I for the fact that Lisa died alone.?

Glad to see that hopey-changey thing working out for ya' at least a little bit.

Full post as published by South Florida Lawyers on April 16, 2010 (boomark / email).