Criminal Law: Restoring Dignity to a Proud Woman Left to Die

Brooklyn, NYAnyone guilty of giving criminal lawyers a bad rap as being ambulance-chasers and opportunists always on the hunt for the next big case need only examine the last tragic hours of Esmin Green. The Jamaican immigrant and mother of six died June 18th under what has been described as horrid and cruel circumstances—and a lawyer skilled in criminal law is going to help the woman's family bring those responsible for the tragedy to justice.

It's nothing more than any family would want. Your family, my family.

Esmin Green was admitted to Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn presenting symptoms that the hospital describes as agitation and psychosis. After being taken to the hospital's psychiatric emergency ward, she was left to sit in a chair in the waiting room, before eventually sliding off the chair and convulsing for more than an hour on the waiting room floor, before she was given any assistance.

The tragic event was captured on the hospital surveillance cameras, footage from which shows what appears to be several hospital employees simply walking past the struggling woman, without helping her.

Needless to say the family is devastated, and is aghast at not only the circumstances which occurred that fateful June day, but also with what appears to be an attempt at a cover-up by the hospital. Last week the New York Civil Liberties Union alleged that the hospital falsified medical records for the period of time covering Green's appearance at the hospital, describing her as awake and using the washroom during the time she was seen on the security video convulsing on the floor.

"My sister was killed twice," said Brenda James, Green's sister, in comments appearing on CNN.com. "First, by those who neglected to offer her the needed health care. Secondly, she was killed by those who tried to cover up this criminal action."
The family has retained legal counsel and is suing the hospital, and the City of Brooklyn for $25 million.

Since the incident happened a month ago today, seven employees of the hospital—including doctors, nurses, and security guards have either been fired, or suspended over their involvement, or lack thereof in Green's situation. The City's primary health organization, Brooklyn Health and Hospitals Corporation, has refferred the case to the City's law enforcement divison and indicates it is co-operating fully with the investigation.

"We failed Esmin Green and believe her family deserves fair and just compensation," noted the agency in a statement.

It is not known if any of the employees of the hospital have, or are appealing the dsciplinary action against them. Still, Green's daughter Tecia Harrison, who flew in from Jamaica to attend her mother's funeral, said in a statement that "firing is not enough for me, for my brothers," she said immediately after watching the surviellance video for herself. "They don't know this wonderful woman they took away from us.
"We want them to pay for it."

With the help of a skilled lawyer, the deceased woman's family will vindicate poor Esmin Green, be compensated for her death and the loss of her dignity, and hopefully help prevent such an atrocity from ever happening again.

Of course, not all criminal law cases are this tragic, or complicated. However there is a place, and a decided need for criminal law and criminal defense law, the depth and breadth of which is staggering. A good criminal lawyer may know all the right questions to ask, and may command the theatrics in the courtroom. However, it is her knowledge of the criminal justice system, together with the experience, that makes her not only a valued member of the team, but acutely necessary in order to plead, and conduct a proper case.

An inside knowledge of the workings of the criminal justice system is vital. And you can only get that with a good lawyer—someone well-versed in criminal law. The kind of knowledge that not only wins cases, but serves to help restore dignity to a proud woman, forgotten and left to die on a waiting room floor.