Judge Orders St. Francis Hospital to have Connecticut Lawyer Present for all Depositions in Child Sex Abuse Case

On February 19, 2010, Judge William Cremins ordered St. Francis Hospital to have a Connecticut lawyer present for all depositions in the St. Francis Hospital Child Sex Abuse Case.  The Plaintiff's Steering Committee which is representing several victims of child sex abuse at St. Francis Hospital, had previously filed a Motion for Sanctions in connection with the issue.  Attorney Janice Howe, an attorney from Boston, Massachusetts who is not admitted to practice law in Connecticut, had previously attended several depositions in the case without a Connecticut lawyer present as had been ordered by the court.  St. Francis Hospital had previously represented to the court that it would have a Connecticut lawyer present for all "proceedings" in the case.  When the issue was brought to the court's attention by the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, the hospital argued that a deposition was not a "proceeding" within the meaning of Connecticut Rules of Practice.  The court rejected that argument and ordered St. Francis Hospital to abide by its original representation.