Good thoughts, kaRN. I actually don't know if they were obligated to do "another" battery of tests to re-establish that Jahi was in fact, brain dead under NJ state law, too. She had a death certificate from California-- that should have relieved them of any legal obligation to do "anything" at the St. Peter's hospital. It's an interesting dilemma!
Apparently, St. Peter DID keep patient records for Jahi, and Dr. Shewmon's declaration to the court mentions that, as well as the persistent brainstem dysfunction documented in her records from there that he reviewed.
At one point, I wondered if they kept any traditional patient records, or just provided routine and custodial care without records. I don't think the family could have sued any of the providers or the hospital for malpractice or negligence, since the patient was legally dead on admission. (Imagine having to write the policies and procedures for THAT kind of a situation!)
It has crossed my mind that it's possible that Dolan and NW actually wanted St. Peter's to repeat the tests, but St. Peter's refused, due to costs or other reasons. Or St. Peter's refused to allow Dolan's team of experts to do their tests in their hospital, with their equipment? Machado doesn't even have a U.S. license, but would he need one? Was Prestigiacomo credentialed at the St. Peter's hospital-- I kind of doubt it, hence the MRI at Rutgers, where he works. Do you need to do emergency privileges for a provider to evaluate a patient who is already legally dead? Elena Labkovsky almost certainly wasn't credentialed to work in the St. Peter's hospital, either. But St. Peter has LOTS and LOTS of credentialed providers who could have done the EEG and MRI there, as well as a repeat brain death diagnostic process.
Maybe St.Peter's admin just put their foot down, and said we won't help you try to have her declared un-dead, or "alive again"? Maybe St. Peters told them if they planned to pursue court action to have Jahi declared "alive again", they needed to leave their facility, due to the kind of publicity the case would draw? That they didn't want their facility embroiled in that kind of controversy, but they were willing to provide custodial care, as long as there was no publicity or media attention? That seems more than a little bit likely to me. Especially given the months of silence when no one knew where Jahi was being cared for.
It does seem strange that NW fought so hard to find a facility clear across the country to take Jahi and provide the 24/7 care in an ICU setting (and let's not forget the surgical procedures to place the permanent trach and g-tube)-- then suddenly appears to be totally comfortable and willing to just take her home to an apartment in a strange city? That decision seems rather sudden, from what the New Beginnings "pack the truck" publicity implies. Which then makes me wonder (like SwampMama), if there was some adversarial falling out between St. Peter's and NW, just like CHO, just this time without the parking lot marching protests, and calls to clog up the phone lines of the St. Peter administrators. IDK.
Also interesting that in the process of filing the petition for Jahi to be considered "alive again", and all the media splash, NW has had not one kind word to say publicly in support of all the care, consideration, and kindness St. Peter's hospital and staff have provided for her for months on end. Not. One. Word. I know she is capable of writing a heartfelt thank you note-- just look at the Facebook site, and the donation site. But she never seems to be able to dig down deep and publicly thank the hospitals, and medical and nursing staffs, that are in the trenches doing the really hard work of caring for her, and her daughter's body 24/7.