Bulletin: Motherisk: Group "Harmed by Motherisk" seeks out victims of disgraced 'Motherisk' program (Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto) for potential lawsuits, The Charles Smith Blog has learned.

BACKGROUND: Reporter Jacques Gallant: Toronto Star. October 16, 2015.

"The Hospital for Sick Children is apologizing for “unacceptable” practices in its Motherisk drug testing laboratory, its chief executive officer told the Star in an exclusive interview on Thursday. “We deeply regret that the practices in the Motherisk drug testing laboratory didn’t meet the high standard of excellence that we have here at Sick Kids, and we extend our sincere apologies to children, families and organizations who feel that they may have been impacted in some negative way,” said Dr. Michael Apkon, speaking in his office at the hospital. “We remain resolved in our efforts to ensure that we have the highest standards of quality and safety in all of our programs so that unacceptable events like this never happen again.” Sick Kids permanently halted drug and alcohol hair testing at Motherisk last spring in the midst of an internal review, which showed a laboratory operating at times without appropriate oversight or rigorous quality assurance processes, yet relied upon in many child protection and criminal cases across the country."

A group, calling itself 'Harmed by Motherisk'  is seeking victims of the Hospital for Sick Children's 'Motherisk' program to participate in potential lawsuits, this Blog has learned. The lawsuits will be handled by  Benjamin Salsberg,  a Toronto lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in civil litigation assisted by an independent forensic laboratory  with expertise in the field of hair testing, by recognized experts in the field, and by individuals who have suffered and have had to counter testing from Motherisk.

Initial questions and communications   about the lawsuits should be directed to the e-mail... info@HarmedByMotherisk.com. 

Lawyer Salsberg can be reached at: 416-362-0555 | Cell: 416-417-6040

This Blog has been advised that the most common questions received by the group thus far - and answers provided  by them -  are as follows:

Question: Is this a Class Action Lawsuit?

Answer: No, this is not a Class Action Lawsuit since Class Actions involve allegations with a large number of people who have been injured by the same defendant in the same way.  Based on initial interviews, each client suffered differently as a result of Motherisk (i.e. the damages vary dramatically).  A Class Action is ideal for cases where individuals suffered equally (e.g. the Volkswagen emissions scandal).  Mr. Salsberg is taking as many individual cases to file a suit against Motherisk so that each individual can get compensated to the fullest extent.

Question:  Who can be compensated?  Can Children be compensated?

Answer:  Everyone is compensated including Children!  In fact, we believe that Children were equally affected by the result of the Motherisk drug and alcohol test results.

Question:  What are the cost involved and what if I already have a lawyer?

Answer:  A case of this magnitude requires that large significant cost would be required in order to give the best possible presentation for each case.  Other lawyers would require this cost since it involves not the time and effort to go over the intricate details of your case but a number of scientific experts in the field of hair testing are required to analyze the significance of the test results from Motherisk.  With Benjamin Salsberg, none of these costs would be provided by the individual plaintiffs and each individual would be compensated based on the award/settlement.

Question:  What if I currently have a lawyer?  Also what if I plan on having a lawyer for family or adoption purposes?

Answer:  If you currently have a lawyer working on CAS and family law issues, that relationship is not affected by the present matter which only involves Motherisk laboratories.  This is a completely separate and distinct action.

The group would appreciate to a response by December 10, 2015.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
 
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
 
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
 
 http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
 
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
 
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html  
I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com;  Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;