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Colombo the Asbestos Sleuth

Judge exposes phony claims in asbestos lawsuits

Good legal news for a change: The courts keep making progress against phony asbestos lawsuits, this time in Michigan, by Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Robert Colombo, Jr.

Judge Colombo disqualified Michael Kelly, a physician who had diagnosed people in 7,300 cases with asbestos-related disease, from a case on dubious grounds.

More than 90% of the lung function tests Dr. Kelly performed failed to meet basic standards. The defendants also showed that Dr. Kelly submitted nearly identical reports for every patient he saw, yet he failed to note that some of his patients also had heart disease or renal failure. Asbestos attorneys apparently don’t pay for doctors to observe the Hippocratic Oath.

Texas death row inmate pulls out eye, eats it

Hard to believe someone could do that. Except that this guy pulled out his other eye four years ago.

A Texas death row inmate with a history of mental problems pulled out his only good eye and told authorities he ate it. Andre Thomas, 25, was arrested for the fatal stabbings of his estranged wife, their young son and her 13-month-old daughter in March 2004. Their hearts also had been ripped out. He was convicted and condemned for the infant’s death.

Here’s one for the ‘you gotta be kidding’ column. A police officer steals marijuana, bakes some special brownies then calls 911 and says “I think we are dying”.