Yesterday I attended a webinar offered by NACDL on Chemical Endangerment that addressed allegations of drug use by pregnant people. Presenters Mishka Terplan, MD, MPH and Kima Joy Taylor, MD, MPH shared important information about defending clients in these cases, including the slide below. Attorneys often ask me about what substances could potentially cause false …
Child Abuse Allegations
The Wounded Healer’s Journey: Vicarious Trauma and Reclaiming Resilience
The NC Association for the Management and Treatment of Sex Offenses is offering a free webinar on Zoom that is open to criminal defense attorneys working on sex offense cases. The focus of the program is on vicarious trauma and resilience. Please register in advance of the program if you are interested.
The Wounded Healer’s Journey: Vicarious Trauma and Reclaiming ResilienceRead More
From Patient to Defendant: When Clinical Care Becomes Criminal Evidence
Offered by NACDL, no registration cost.
From Patient to Defendant: When Clinical Care Becomes Criminal EvidenceRead More
From the Hospital to Handcuffs: Flawed Drug Testing and Pregnancy Criminalization
Free webinar offered by NACDL. Open to non-NACDL members.
From the Hospital to Handcuffs: Flawed Drug Testing and Pregnancy CriminalizationRead More
How Often Does Child Welfare Call Police in Your State for Positive Drug Tests at Birth?
Medical Examiners Warn That Controversial Lung Float Test Could Be Dangerous
Testimony about shaken baby syndrome excluded by NJ Supreme Court
On Nov. 20, 2025, the New Jersey Supreme Court barred testimony concerning shaken baby syndrome, finding that the State failed to meet its burden of showing reliability under the Frye standard. The opinion discusses the history of this diagnosis and lack of consensus around the so-called “triad” of symptoms in shaken baby cases. The opinion demonstrates …
Testimony about shaken baby syndrome excluded by NJ Supreme CourtRead More
State v. Darryl Nieves (NJ Supreme Court 2025)
In this appeal, the Court considers whether expert testimony regarding Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma (SBS/AHT) is sufficiently reliable to go before a jury in two separate cases — State v. Nieves and State v. Cifelli. The defense in both cases moved to exclude the testimony, challenging the scientific basis and reliability of the theory …
NJ high court rules shaken baby syndrome testimony unreliable and inadmissible in child abuse cases
Texas appeals court again pauses execution of Robert Roberson in shaken baby case
Pediatric Strangulation: Not Just “Little Adults”
Free webinar offered by Godoy Medical Forensics
Stillbirth Case Study: Maternal Substance Use: Strategies for Early Fact-Checking & Case Redirection
Free Recorded webinarPresented by Dr. Kima Taylor and Dr. Mishka Terplan; moderated by Andrea LyonOriginally recorded July 2, 2025Approx. 90 min. Stigma and misinformation about substance use during pregnancy often lead to infants being removed from their parents’ custody without understanding the needs of the parent or child. Led by medical experts, this program aims …