New Jersey Doctor Must Take Part in Missed Diagnosis Trial

Quest Diagnostics Inc. can force a New Jersey physician to appear at a medical malpractice trial to determine the extent of his responsibility, if any, for a missed cancer diagnosis, New Jersey’s top court said Monday.

There were no grounds to dismiss Jacinto Fernandez from Quest’s suit for contribution and indemnity, even though plaintiff Samuel Mejia didn’t sue him, and no affidavit of merit had been filed against him, the New Jersey Supreme Court said.

Mejia sued Quest, alleging it failed to detect his wife’s cervical cancer in tests performed in the two years before her death. Quest, in turn, ...