Many of you have probably heard about the recent story of a man with XDR Tuberculosis, getting on a jet plane and flying to Europe knowing that he could potentially spread this horrible disease to others. He then traveled back across the border into the United States in a car. He has subsequently become the first person in 40 years to be the subject of a Federal Quarantine.
What makes this story unique at least to me is that Andrew Speaker is a Personal Injury Lawyer. He should have known better. Click here to visit his law firm website.
There are two main issues to this story. The main issue is the potential risk of harm that Attorney Speaker could have caused to others by his willful and wanton disregard for others including his new wife; the second issue is the personal tragedy of a man infected with this horrible disease. This opinion editorial will concentrate on the potential risk of harm that Attorney Speaker could have caused to others, and his potential legal liability.
I first ask this question; what would an ordinary prudent person do if they were just diagnosed with XDR Tuberculosis? I venture to guess that an ordinary prudent person under the circumstances would seek out medical treatment, and do everything they could to get better. Most people would probably get a second or third opinion from doctors, and follow their doctor’s advice to a tee. They certainly would not get on a jet plane, travel in close quarters with others to Europe, and go get married. I wonder if he kissed his new bride during the marriage.
The second question that really bothers me is what would a learned personal injury lawyer knowing the law, do under similar circumstances? Probably not what Attorney Speaker did!
My personal opinion is that it was not only extremely selfish for Attorney Speaker to travel knowing that he has such a vile disease, but what is even worse is that he could have spread the disease to his new wife, his family, untold hundreds, or even thousands of people at the airport, etc.
From a civil legal standpoint based upon California Law, Andrew Speaker could be potentially held liable for the civil tort such as Negligence. Negligence in a nutshell is duty, breach, causation, and damages.
In the Andrew Speaker case, if a person were to contract the same strain of XDR Tuberculosis that Speaker has, and they happened to be on the same plane or in the general proximity of Speaker at the time of contracting the disease, they could sue Andrew Speaker at the minimum for negligence. This would be a case that I myself would take!
It just so happens that Andrew Speaker is a Personal Injury Lawyer like me. I am not a Medical Doctor, I am a Juris Doctor, I do not claim to know what Speaker was told by his doctors. I feel that Speaker has damaged the reputation of good personal injury lawyers by his conduct. Speaker could have been from any profession, but in this case his is an Officer of the Court like me. What was this man thinking globetrotting around the world with XDR Tuberculosis?
I hope that the general public does not look down on Personal Injury Lawyers in whole, just because of one guy who did a very stupid thing. You cannot judge an entire profession by one or two bad apples.
With this being said, I hope to God that Speaker did not spread this vile disease to anyone during his cavalier travels.
By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2007
Welcome, my name is 
It is hard to believe that Mr. Speaker is a personal injury lawyer. How dare he subject other people to a disease such as TB or anything. This man showed no regard to fellow man, woman, child or elderly person. I can’t believe that his diagnosing doctor did not report his illness to Center for Disease Control and health department. Unbelievable. I feel that Mr. Speaker has some questions to answer. The doctor who diagnosed this man has questions to answer as well!!!
DRUG RESISTANCE TB PATIENT’S FATHER-IN-LAW IS CDC DRUG RESISTANT TB EXPERT
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=105012
Andrew Speaker’s wife’s father Dr Frankenstein runs the Center for Disease Creation’s bioweapons lab, manufacturing deadly new strains of mycoplasma TB. CDC was in desperate need of new Congressional funding for it’s fleet of executive jet aircraft, which is why this silly story is plastered all over the news media, claiming CDC had no funding for its Gulfstream jet to give Andrew Speaker a free ride home from Europe.
Andrew Speaker has tape recording of CDC telling him that it was okay for him to fly to Europe to get married. Except he lacked the required paperwork so his “marriage trip” did NOT result in his marriage. So he is still single.
This smells like a govt psyop.
Note that HIV is a patented genetically modified bioweaponized US Govt mycoplasma, contracted by US Congress in 1969.
http://obiakpere.blogspot.com/2007/01/secret-origins-of-aids.html
Note that the US border is wide open to illegal aliens with TB and mycoplasma leprosy, with White House and US Senate already approving total amnesty of 40-million criminal aliens, who will be allowed to each bring in 11 family members, for a total of half a billion illegal aliens in USA, with ZERO screening for TB.
From what I gather, the doctors did not know the seriousness
of his type of TB until he had already left the country. He was notified in Europe of the type he had and the dangers and was told to seek Medical help there but he failed to do that and chose to expose more people to TB on his return trip just because he didn’t want to stay in a hospital in Europe.. I wonder if he wore a face mask on the way home knowing now the type of TB he had? Once he knew the seriousness of his type of TB is where his liability begins, I beleave..
There is no excuse for his behavior. That he was at some point told he was not contagious is not an excuse. That his TB is “merely” multiply resistant is not an excuse.
Tuberculosis is such an awful disease. Family members must pay special attention if they have a case inside the family.
Oh Jesus.. this man has to be punished somehow. And if he knew then he is totally guilty because he endangered our lives.
I agree with you One should not judge whole proffession due to one or two bad persons.Lets hope this would not be repeated again.
Tuberculosis is really dangerous disease.We should be carefull from such persons
I agree!
Norm
I guess in the end the whole story will come out.
Norm
I agree.
Norm