NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Court of Appeals is rebuking a Nashville judge for the appearance of bias in a medical malpractice case involving a dead child.
The Court of Appeals on Tuesday said that Davidson County Circuit Court Judge Barbara Haynes should have recused herself from a case involving the children's Hospital at Vanderbilt because she sits on its board of directors.
The case involved a family who sued the hospital and one of its doctors after their child died from cancer that allegedly wasn't diagnosed in time.
Haynes ultimately dismissed the suit against Vanderbilt.
The decision did not address whether Haynes was biased in favor of the hospital. It only said that it was reasonable for the judge's relationship with Vanderbilt to be questioned by parents Gilbert and Annette Olerud.
The court also overturned Haynes' decision to dismiss the case.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
