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Determination of Death by Neurological Criteria
On this page I have collected some key legal resources concerning "total brain failure," a clinical diagnosis that is legally sufficient for the determination of death by neurological criteria ("brain death").

The page is divided into six main sections:
1.  DDNC Statutes
2.  Accommodation Laws
3.  Major Reports
4.  Court Cases
5.  Hospital Policies
6.  My Articles
Help Me Disseminate Legal Documents to Inform Bioethics Policy
1. DDNC Statutes
Uniform Determination of Death Act
2. Accommodation Laws
Statutes & Regulations
California Brain Death Accommodation (2008)
California DPH Letter
Illinois Accommodation Law (2008)
New Jersey Declaration of Death Act (1991)
New Jersey Report on NJDDA (2013)
New York DOH (1986) (2005)
Bills
 
3. Major Reports
President's Commission (1981)
President's Council (2008)
4. Court Cases
I have grouped the following court cases into these seven categories:
a.  Challenges to Pregnancy Restrictions
b.  TROs Granted to Families
c.  Rulings for Hospitals & Insurers
d.  Damages for Stopping Physiological Support
e.  Damages for Continuing Physiological Support
f.  Damages for Emotional Distress
g.  Other
Challenges to Pregnancy Restrictions on Advance Directives
Dinino v. Washington (Wash. 1984)
Gabrynowicz v. Heitkamp (D.N.D. 1995)
University Health v. Piazzi (Ga. Super. 1986)
In re Tammy Martin (Houston, Tex. 1999)
Munoz v. JPS Hospital (Tarrant Cty., Tex. Jan. 2014) (petition & motion)
Munoz v. JPS Hospital (Tarrant Cty., Tex. Jan. 2014) (hospital response)
Munoz v. JPS Hospital (Tarrant Cty., Tex. Jan. 2014) (stipulation)
Munoz v. JPS Hospital (Tarrant Cty., Tex. Jan. 2014) (Mayo Affidavit)
Munoz v. JPS Hospital (Tarrant Cty., Tex. Jan. 2014) (Munoz Afifdavit)
Munoz v. JPS Hospital (Tarrant Cty., Tex. Jan. 2014) (Order)
Irish High Court (Dec. 26, 2014)
Courts Grant TROs to Families
While families regularly obtain TROs in disputes over continuing physiological support after DDNC, those are almost always only temporary stopgap measures.  Courts have not held that families have a right to continued treatment.

NOTE:  Materials on the Jahi Mcmath case from Oakland, California are collected on the separate "Jahi McMath" cases page.
Fonseca v. Kaiser (9th Cir May 23, 2016) (withdraw emergency motion)
Fonseca v. Kaiser (9th Cir May 17, 2016) (Order granting stay)
Fonseca v. Kaiser (9th Cir May 19, 2016) emergency motion Reply
Fonseca v. Kaiser (9th Cir May 19, 2016) emergency motion Opposition
Fonseca v. Kaiser (9th Cir May 17, 2016) emergency motion injunction
Fonseca v. Kaiser (ED Cal May 13, 2016) Appeal from Order denying PI
Fonseca v. Kaiser (ED Cal May 13, 2016) Order denying PI
Petition for GAL (ED Cal May 6, 2016)
Snyder Declaration on Disputes (ED Cal May 6, 2016)
Mother Declaration re Video (ED Cal May 6, 2016)
Mother Declaration (ED Cal May 6, 2016)
Byrne Declaration (ED Cal May 6, 2016)
Shewmon Declaration (ED Cal May 6, 2016)
Fonseca v. Kaiser (ED Cal May 6, 2016) Motion for PI
Fonseca v. Kaiser (ED Cal May 3, 2016) amended compl
Fonseca v. Kaiser (ED Cal May 1, 2016) Opp to TRO & PI
Fonseca v. Kaiser(ED Cal April 28, 2016) TRO
Fonseca v. Kaiser(ED Cal April 28, 2016) Petition TRO
Fonseca v. Kaiser(ED Cal April 28, 2016) Declarations Snyder, Byrne, Fonseca
Fonseca v. Kaiser(ED Cal April 28, 2016) Complaint
Stinson v. UC Davis (Placer County, Cal. April 2016) all state docs
Stinson v. UC Davis (Placer County, Cal. April 2016) TROs
Hailu v. Prime Healthcare (Nev. Nov. 2015)
Hailu v. Prime Healthcare (Nev. Oct. 2015) (reply brief)
Hailu v. Prime Healthcare (Nev. Sept. 9, 2015) (answering brief)
Hailu v. Prime Healthcare (Nev. Aug. 28, 2015) (opening merits brief)
Hailu v. Prime Healthcare (Nev. Aug. 2015) (order granting stay)
Hailu v. Prime Healthcare (Nev. Aug. 2015) (non-opp)
Hailu v. Prime Healthcare (Nev. Aug. 2015) (motion stay)
Hailu v. Prime Healthcare (Nev. Aug. 2015) (notice appeal)
In re Hailu (Washoe Cty, Nev. July 30, 2015) (Order denying TRO, petition)
Avila v. Anaheim Regional Medical Center (Orange Cty. Sup 2015) (TRO)
Meshkin v. John Muir Medical (Contra Costa Cty April 2015)
Motl Brody (DC 2008)
Cho Fook Cheng (Mass. 2006)
Jesse Koochin (Utah 1994)
Christian Lanciano (WV 2009)
Brett Shively (Kan. 2006)
Michael Todd (Kan. 2006)
Courts Rule for Hospitals & Insurers
In re A (UK High Court Feb. 2015)
In re Issac Lopez (Jefferson Circuit Ct, Ky. 2014) (Order)
In re Issac Lopez (Jefferson Circuit Ct, Ky. 2014) (Hospital brief)
In re Issac Lopez (Jefferson Circuit Ct, Ky. 2014) (Mother brief)
In re Issac Lopez (Jefferson Circuit Ct, Ky. 2014) (Guardian brief)
Alvarado v. New York City (NY Sup. 1989)
In re Bowman (Wash. 1980)
Cavagnaro v. Hanover Ins. (NJ Super. 1989)
Dority v. Sup. Ct. (Cal. 1983)
Gallups v. Cotter (Ala. 1988)
In re Long Island Jewish Med. (NY 1996)
Claims for Damages for Stopping Treatment
Bainchi v. Friedmann (ND Ill 2014) (Complaint)
Jacobs v. CORE (W.D. Pa. 2009)
Rosier v. Southern Baptist Hospital Florida (4th Dist., Fla. 2014) (sum jmt for hosp)
Claims for Damages for Continuing Treatment
Strachan v. JFK Hospital (NJ 1988)
Damages for Emotional Distress
Westhoff v. Childrens Hospital Oakland (Alameda Cty., Cal. Apr. 2014) (Complaint)
Other Cases
DeKalb Medical v. Hawkins (Ga App 2011)
Hernandez v. Abel (4th Cir 2010) (brief arguing UDDA preempted by EMTALA)
Avila v. Anaheim Regional Medical Center (Orange Cty. Sup 2015) (Complaint)
Theresa Hamilton (Fla. 1994)
Arthur Johnson (Fla. 2011)
5. Hospital Policies
AcuteCare Health (NJ)
Anonymous California Hospital
Anonymous California Hospital 2
Anonymous California Hospital 3
Anonymous California Hospital 4
Anonymous California Hospital 5
Anonymous California Hospital 6
Anonymous California Hospital 7
Arkansas Children's
Children's Los Angeles
Children's Minnesota
Cleveland Clinic
Hershey Medical (PA)
Hospital of University Pennsylvania
Huntington (CA)
LA - USC
LACMA - LACBA Guidelines (CA)
Lahey Clinic
Liberty Health (NJ)
New York City Hospital Corporation
Northern Manhattan (NY)
Ohio State
Presbyterian Intercommunity (CA)
Providence Holy Cross (CA)
St. Anthony Hosp. (Missouri)
Stanford
UCLA
UC Irvine
University of Illinois Chicago
University of Louisville
University of Missouri
UTMB
VA Los Angeles
Yale New Haven
6. Pope Articles on Brain Death
1.  Legal Standards for Brain Death, JOURNAL OF BIOETHICAL INQUIRY (2016).

2.  Brain Death: Legal Duties to Accommodate Religious Objections, 148(2) CHEST e69 (2015).

3.  Brain Death Rejected: Expanding Legal Duties to Accommodate Religious Objections and Continue Physiological Support, in LAW, RELIGION, AND AMERICAN HEALTH CARE (Cambridge University Press forthcoming 2016) (proceedings from 2015 Petrie-Flom Center Annual Conference at Harvard Law).

4.  Review of Death before Dying: History, Medicine, and Brain Death (OUP 2014), 36 JOURNAL OF LEGAL MEDICINE (forthcoming 2015).

5.  Brain Death: Legal Obligations and the Courts, 35(2) SEMINARS IN CLINICAL NEUROLOGY: THE CLINICAL PRACTICE OF BRAIN DEATH DETERMINATION 174-179 (2015) (with Christopher M. Burkle).

6.  Legal Briefing: Brain Death and Total Brain Failure, 25(3) JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ETHICS 245-257 (2014).

7.  Pregnant and Dead in Texas: A Bad Law, Badly Interpreted, LOS ANGELES TIMES (Jan. 16. 2014) (with Art Caplan).

8.  Legal Briefing: Organ Donation, 21(3) J. CLINICAL ETHICS 243-263 (2010).