Judith Richardson Haimes is an American woman from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, who worked as a

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use powers rooted in parapsychology, such as extrasensory perception (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance; or who performs acts that a ...

Newark, Delaware Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 31,454. The University of Delaware is ...

, until an

allergic reaction Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are various conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include Allergic rhinitis, hay fever, Food allergy, food al ...

to the

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

tracer injected for a CAT scan allegedly disabled her psychic abilities. She sued Temple University Hospital and was awarded over $600,000 for pain and suffering and loss of income. This award was later overturned on

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which Legal case, cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of cla ...

, 39 Pa. D. & C.3d 381 (Pa.Com.Pl. 1986). Haimes currently lives with her husband Allen Haimes in Florida and writes a syndicated newspaper column on grieving. Haimes' case was the subject of the book ''Judith'' by her husband. The case is often cited in discussions of frivolous lawsuits and tort reform in the United States, but the facts are also often misrepresented.Crybabies and Whiners
by Chuck Colson in BreakPoint, Changing Lives, Minds, and Communities through Jesus Christ. Contrary to popular belief, Haimes never claimed that a CAT scan had caused her to lose her psychic powers. In fact, the often alluded-to CAT scan never took place. Haimes only claimed that the

headache A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...

s resulting from her allergic reaction prevented her from earning a living as a psychic. Haimes previously earned a lucrative living by offering sessions in which she ostensibly read individuals' auras, offering them medical as well as personal advice. She gained a reputation following an article in Philadelphia magazine that described seances she conducted at a wealthy Chestnut Hill patron's house.

Footnotes

References

* Galanter, Marc (1998). ''An Oil Strike in Hell: Contemporary Legends About the Civil Justice System''. Arizona Law Review, (40 Ariz. L. Rev. 717).

External links

Galanter's article with numerous supporting citations
Living people American psychics Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-law-bio-stub