Court allows wrongful death lawsuit after miscarriage

Lawyer Interviews

The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that a woman can pursue a wrongful-death lawsuit against an obstetrician after a miscarriage when she was five to six weeks pregnant.

Justices on Friday reversed a trial judge's order dismissing the wrongful-death claim.

In the civil case ruling, the justices cited a 2009 state law making it a crime to kill or harm "an unborn child in utero at any stage of development."

The case involved a newly pregnant woman experiencing abdominal cramping and fever. The physician suspected an ectopic pregnancy and administered an injection to stop the progression. It was determined later that the pregnancy was uterine.

The woman sued, arguing that the injection caused pregnancy loss. The physician said that the pregnancy was already failing and that she followed standard practices.

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USCIS Adjusting Premium Processing Fee

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today it is adjusting the premium processing fee for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers beginning on Oct. 1, 2018 to more effectively adjudicate petitions and maintain effective service to petitioners.

The premium processing fee will increase to $1,410, a 14.92 percent increase (after rounding) from the current fee of $1,225. This increase, which is done in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, represents the percentage change in inflation since the fee was last increased in 2010 based on the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers.

“Because premium processing fees have not been adjusted since 2010, our ability to improve the adjudications and service processes for all petitioners has been hindered as we’ve experienced significantly higher demand for immigration benefits. Ultimately, adjusting the premium processing fee will allow us to continue making necessary investments in staff and technology to administer various immigration benefit requests more effectively and efficiently,” said Chief Financial Officer Joseph Moore. “USCIS will continue adjudicating all petitions on a case-by-case basis to determine if they meet all standards required under applicable law, policies, and regulations.”

Premium processing is an optional service that is currently authorized for certain petitioners filing Forms I-129 or I-140. The system allows petitioners to request 15-day processing of certain employment-based immigration benefit requests if they pay an extra fee. The premium processing fee is paid in addition to the base filing fee and any other applicable fees, which cannot be waived.