The plaintiff, Claudio Rodrigues, filed a lawsuit against the tobacco company, Souza Cruz, seeking damages for the death of his spouse, alleging that was caused by consumption of the tobacco products produced by Souza Cruz. The plaintiff argued that his spouse had been influenced into consuming the tobacco products by misleading advertisements that portrayed healthy …Read more

The Municipality of Caxias do Sul filed an extraordinary appeal against the decision of the lower court, which had found that the federal, state and municipal governments possessed joint liability to provide medications free of charge, for the treatment of serious disease, to those deemed to be financially needy, in order to abide by the …Read more

A defendant in a rape case petitioned a writ of Habeas Corpus before the Federal Supreme Court against the Court of Appeals decision because the survivor refused to be subject to physical exam and the jurisprudence gives extra weight to witness evidence in absence of such exam.  The second argument was that the Court of …Read more

Rio Grande do Sul filed an interlocutory appeal against the lower court’s decision that denied the special appeal affirming Rio Grande do Sul’s duty to care for its citizen’s health, specifically by providing surgery and certain medications at no cost to Rinaldo Pinzetta, a needy citizen. The Court also assessed a fine to Rio Grande …Read more

The State of São Paulo filed an interlocutory appeal against the decision of the lower court (Tribunal de Justicia del Estado de São Paulo) that recognized the Public Prosecutor’s Office as a legitimate party to bring civil actions to protect “unavailable individual interests.” The state argued that the decision contravened articles 129 (institutional functions of the …Read more

The plaintiff, a Mexican national, presented an appeal for legal protection against Mexico, arguing that modifications of the General Health Law (Ley General de Salud), which controlled and regulated tobacco advertising, constituted a violation of the constitutional right to health, as enshrined in Article 4 of the Constitution and falling within the scope of Article …Read more

A minor child, L.C., began to be sexually abused at the age of 11 years by a 34-year-old man. Two years later, L.C. became pregnant, and in response, attempted suicide by jumping from a building. L.C. survived her suicide attempt, and she was taken to a public hospital where she was diagnosed with a series …Read more

The petitioner sought a declaration of the unconstitutionality and annulment of a Minister of Health Decree which required mandatory lung screening.  This initial Minister of Health Decree was overruled by a Decree of the Minister of Public Welfare (the “challenged Decree”) which regulated “mandatory screening of epidemiological interest content wise”, (it was aimed at detecting cases of …Read more

The appellant, joined by his spouse and children, filed suit against defendant Catholic Workers Circle of Uruguay, an affiliated collective medical assistance institution, to recover for loss of earning capacity and moral damages. The appellant’s doctor (co-defendant) at Catholic Workers Circle had diagnosed the appellant with a benign brain tumor and prescribed radiation therapy in …Read more

A previous judgment compelled the Ministry of Public health to deliver the drug “Cetuximab” to the plaintiff within three working days until the Ministry of Public Health decided whether or not to include the drug “Cetuximab” on the Therapeutic Drug Form (FTM). The judgement was appealed and appellants argued that the conditions required to proceed …Read more

Appellant Ministry of Public Health (“MSP”) refused to provide the medicine CETUXIMAB to the plaintiff, arguing that, although it was obligated to ensure public health, it had no legal power to dispense medication directly to the population and that its refusal to provide the medicine was  also consistent with the fact that the drug was …Read more

5,000 Peruvian citizens presented an action before the Constitutional Court claiming the unconstitutionality of Article 3 of Law 28705, Law for the Prevention and Control of Tobacco Consumption Risks. This clause prohibits smoking in all health and educational establishments, public institutions, inside of work places, closed public places and any means of public transport, making …Read more

The applicant Ms. R.R., a Polish citizen, brought an action against the then Malopolska Regional Medical Insurance Fund and Dr. S.B. for failure to perform timely prenatal examinations and allow her the possibility of deciding whether to terminate her pregnancy with the conditions provided by law for the malformation of her child (Turner syndrome). The …Read more

The Delhi High Court made its own motion because of a newspaper report about a destitute woman who died on a busy street while giving birth to a baby girl. The girl had been struggling for life at a foster home named Udayan which was located in Delhi. The Court had subsequently issued directions to …Read more

This case was a decision on the constitutionality of an executive decree extending the declaration of a state of emergency in respect of the national public health services. Articles 165 and 166 of the Constitution and Articles 120 and 121 of the Organic Law of Jurisdictional Guarantees and Constitutional Controls set forth conditions that a …Read more

This case was a review of the constitutionality of the Agreement on Social Security signed between the governments of Spain and Ecuador, to provide nationals working in the companion State with the same benefits as they would receive in their home country. In Spain’s case, this required provision for temporary disability during mass outbreaks of …Read more

This case was a decision on the constitutionality of an executive decree ordering the declaration of a state of emergency intended to prohibit the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages throughout the country for 72 hours, due to cases of poisoning from alcoholic beverages adulterated with methanol. Articles 165 and 166 of the Constitution and …Read more

This case was an appeal of a constitutional protection (amparo) action before the Constitutional Court filed by the claimant, Carlos Alexander Molina Garrido, against the Ministry of National Defense. The claimant was dismissed from military service after a report that he was drunk in public, which he appealed before the Ministry. When his administrative appeal …Read more

Plaintiff carrying the HIV virus was wrongfully terminated from her employment at the Sociedade de Onibus Porto Alegrense and alleged discriminatory motives, because the employer was aware that the employee carried the HIV virus at the time of termination. The employer asserts that it first became aware of the employee’s condition four years prior to her …Read more

This case was an appeal brought by the National Monetary Fund (“FNR”, for its initials in Spanish) in a protection action before the Second Chamber of the Court of Civil Appeals. The action was brought against Resolution No. 67, which had found for the claimant, determining that coverage for the drug “NEXAVAR-DROGA SORAFENIB”, should be …Read more

K was named as a witness in a case brought against a company involving embezzlement. During the investigation, the prosecutor brought criminal charges against K for his suspected involvement in the embezzlement, and on 7 April 2001, K was detained by the authorities pursuant to the prosecutor’s order. The detention, based on a request of …Read more

The applicant suffered from a serious bipolar disorder and wished to commit suicide and requested a lethal dose of sodium pentobarbital, which is available only on prescription, from several psychiatrists but was unsuccessful. The applicant then contacted various official bodies seeking permission to obtain the substance from a pharmacy without a prescription. The Federal Office …Read more

The plaintiff alleged medical negligence on behalf of the Dora Nginza Hospital (hereinafter referred to as “the hospital”. The plaintiff states that she was referred to the hospital as her blood sugar and blood pressure was high during pregnancy. She had also informed the hospital that she had had previous C-Section deliveries. She was also …Read more

The respondent plaintiff (continuing proceedings on behalf of her late husband) sued the appellant for negligently manufacturing and supplying tobacco products, which her husband smoked. She was also suing as a dependent widow. She further contended in support of her aggravated damages claim that the appellant company had a policy of destroying documents, which might …Read more

This case was about California’s prisons which at the time housed 156,000 prisoners, two fold of the number they were designed to house. The plaintiffs previously had brought two separate Federal actions. In 1990, one of the district courts had decided that mentally ill prisoners received inadequate medical care; in 2001, the other district court …Read more

The applicant was Russian who was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in 1997. The government submitted that the applicant had undergone chest fluorography examination twice a year except for the year 2000 and 2001. There had not been a sign of Tuberculosis (TB) from the first examination in 1997. His medical records from 1998 …Read more

The plaintiffs, in representation of their daughter, filed an anticipatory protection against the insurance company to cover for the medical treatment and medical instruments that their daughter needed because she suffered a car accident. The plaintiff’s daughter was riding a bicycle that got crushed by a car which dragged her and created many injuries and …Read more

The plaintiff brought the case to the National First Instance Civil Court [Juzgado Nacional en lo Civil N° 44 de la Capital] against the National Institution for Social Services for Retiree [Instituto Nacional de Servicios Sociales para Jubilados y Pensionados (PAMI)]; Clinics, Sanatorium, Hospitals and Other Establishments Federation of the Province of Buenos Aires [Federación …Read more