ProPublica, Inc. v. Frazier, No. 01-22-00281-CV
(Tex. App. Apr. 25, 2024)
Yup, Judge Lauren “Ex Parte” Reeder is Chronically Wrong, Again.
APR 25, 2024 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: MAY 25, 2024
Thanks to @USAGov Wingman and Cowboy Lawyer and Debt Collector Bob Kruckemeyer in Houston, we’ve caught up with our updates. #TWO
Where’s the Lawsuit? Harris County Announced in June 2023 It Was Suing Title Deed Scammers Patriot Title – Laws In Texas https://t.co/CDbNC8XFBA
— lawsinusa (@lawsinusa) May 16, 2024
Pro Publica, Inc. and Charles Ornstein and Hearst Newspaper, LLC d/b/a The Houston Chronicle and Mike Hixenbaugh v. Dr. O. Howard Frazier
2nd Interlocutory Appeal, COA1, Harris County, Houston, Texas, USA
APR 14, 2022 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: JAN 14, 2023
Harvard Law Educated State District Judge Lauren “Ex Parte” Reeder Extends Fraudulent Litigation to Stop Foreclosure – it must make y’all so proud to witness documented proof of Ochlocracy and lawlessness in Texas Courts by your own grads. @HarvardLawProf @Harvard @HarvardBiz pic.twitter.com/pxFtceTAXx
— lawsinusa (@lawsinusa) May 15, 2024
HEART FAILURE
Prominent Texas Surgeon Sues ProPublica and the Houston Chronicle
Bud Frazier, a pioneer in the development of artificial hearts, filed a libel suit alleging he was “falsely” portrayed in two articles exploring alleged lapses in research and ethical practices.
JUL 10, 2018 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: JAN 14, 2023
A Texas heart surgeon whose practices recently have been the subject of stories by ProPublica and the Houston Chronicle filed a lawsuit this week against the news organizations alleging defamation.
Dr. O.H. “Bud” Frazier brought the suit in Harris County (Texas) District Court, challenging a May story that examined concerns with the doctor’s conduct, as well as one last month addressing criticism of the first article.
The suit also names the stories’ authors, reporters Charles Ornstein of ProPublica and Mike Hixenbaugh of the Chronicle, as defendants.
Frazier, a famed heart transplant surgeon at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and the Texas Heart Institute, asserts that the articles included errors and misleading statements “calculated to falsely portray Dr. Frazier as an inhumane physician.”
“We have seen the complaint in this case, although we have not yet been served,”
said Richard Tofel, president of ProPublica.
“We think the lawsuit lacks merit, and we intend to defend it vigorously.”
A Pioneering Heart Surgeon’s Secret History of Research Violations, Conflicts of Interest and Poor Outcomes Over decades, Bud Frazier has played a leading role in the development of mechanical heart pumps and an artificial heart.
Out of public view, he’s been accused of putting his quest to make history ahead of the needs of some patients.
Supporters of a Famed Houston Surgeon Have Alleged Inaccuracies in Our Investigation.
Several dozen people have authored letters defending Dr. O.H. “Bud” Frazier and criticizing an investigation by ProPublica and the Houston Chronicle. We stand behind our story.
Nancy Barnes, executive vice president and editor of the Chronicle, said:
“The Houston Chronicle stands behind the reporters on this story, and our journalism, and we will defend our work vigorously.”
The articles involving Frazier were part of a larger series, “Heart Failure,” jointly reported by ProPublica and the Chronicle.
The first article about Frazier, the transplant program’s founding surgeon, revealed that he had been accused of violating research rules and skirting ethical guidelines.
A hospital investigation found that Frazier and his team implanted experimental heart pumps in patients who didn’t meet medical criteria for clinical trials.
The findings were viewed as serious enough that St. Luke’s reported the research violations to the federal government and repaid millions of dollars to Medicare.
In his lawsuit, Frazier calls the decision to repay the money “ill-advised” and criticizes St. Luke’s findings of research violations. He also says that he was motivated by saving lives, not by money.
Other stories in the series detailed how St. Luke’s heart transplant program has in recent years performed an outsized number of transplants that resulted in deaths or unusual complications.
St. Luke’s temporarily suspended heart transplants in June to review two recent patient deaths; it reopened the program two weeks later.
Medicare has since announced that it intends to cut off funding for St. Luke’s heart transplant program in August, citing shortcomings that have not been corrected.
Texas Appellate Justice Ken Molberg: Statute of Limitations Suspended During Litigation and Appeal
That differs when you are in Federal Court on Appeal. It didn’t stop PHH and Mark Cronenwett from filing for nonjudicial foreclosure.
Justice in the Wild West: One Fearless Widow’s Battle for Truth and Honor in the Federal Courthouse
The Texas Struggle: Defying Northern Banking Giants and Their Bounty Hunting Lawyers to Protect Her Home from Rustlers and Thieves
Including the How: Addressing the Missing Piece in Quoting Fraud with Specificity
In Plaintiff’s prior response, under section F. Burke Fails to Assert a Claim for Fraud, the How element was inadvertently omitted.
