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Witnesses urge judges be given neutral medical panels for contested custody and guardianship cases
Summary
Supporters told the Joint Committee on the Judiciary that Senate Bill S1102 would allow probate and family court judges to convene three-physician panels to resolve disputed medical questions in contested guardianship and custody cases, saying the change would bring neutral medical expertise into life-altering decisions.
Chair Lydia Edwards and House Chair Michael Day heard more than a dozen witnesses Tuesday on Senate Bill S1102, an act to establish medical panels for the Probate and Family Court.
Supporters said the panels would let judges convene impartial, three-physician panels to answer contested medical questions in guardianship and custody cases, where judges now can be asked to resolve technical medical disputes without neutral expertise. "Right now, judges have to make life changing decisions, often without access to neutral medical expertise," testified Paola Rosetti, a Boston resident who said she represents attorneys and advocates who work with vulnerable adults.
The bill would create a tool…
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