Informed Consent at Issue in Cases Involving Rabies-Infected Kidneys

Via Law.com:

Families of two people who died after receiving rabies-infected organs have filed separate suits against the hospital and others involved in the transplants, alleging that the defendants failed to provide enough information about the donor to obtain informed consent from the recipients.

Cheri Jean Wells, 50, and Joshua Hightower, 18, received kidneys from Arkansas resident William Beed Jr. in May 2004, and they died the month after their transplant surgeries. Two other recipients of Beed's organs also died, one during the transplant surgery, according to a July 3, 2004, news release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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