Michael David Weiss

Michael David Weiss (December 7, 1966 – October 2, 1999) was an American lawyer. Born in Cleveland, he grew up in Houston.[1] He began a class-action lawsuit against hospital syringe distributors in America, in the hope of protecting nurses from accidental syringe sticks.

Michael David Weiss
Born(1966-12-07)December 7, 1966
Cleveland, Ohio
DiedOctober 2, 1999(1999-10-02) (aged 32)
OccupationLawyer

Early life and education

Michael Weiss was the son of Leon Weiss, a probate attorney at Reminger,[2] and Marilou Rippner,[3] owner of RC Search. Brother, Daniel Robert Weiss,[4] is Partner and Licensed Texas Manager at McCann Global Investigations.[5]

Weiss graduated from Bellaire High School in 1985, where he got to know Paul Danziger, who graduated the year before. They participated together in school debates, where Weiss was the team's captain. He was a national merit scholarship semi-finalist.[6]

Weiss subsequently attended the University of Texas Law School. During his undergraduate years he also studied philosophy for two years at Harvard University and participated as an editor for the Texas Law Review, a student law journal.[7] He graduated from the University of Texas in 1993, with a special honors in philosophy.[1]

Career and social involvement

Following his graduation, Weiss clerked for Judge Edith Jones of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. He also worked with two different law firms. He subsequently co-founded the firm Lawson, Weiss & Danziger, alongside his schoolfriend Paul Danziger. During that time, Weiss worked on different political causes and with various people such as Bruce Hotze and Councilman Rob Todd. He also represented a number of clients in commercial and employment law cases. Together with his associates, Weiss co-chaired two successful whistleblower cases.[8]

Weiss also taught as an assistant professor at the University of Houston Law School and South Texas College of Law. He was a Senior Fellow of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Distinguished Fellow of the Texas Justice Foundation, and a member of the Houston City Club.[1]

The Safety Syringe Case

In 1998, Mike Weiss and Paul Danzinger were approached by an inventor who had trouble selling an auto-retractable and single-use syringe (Safety Syringe) because the group purchasing organization (GPO) refused to adopt his new, more expensive, safer syringes.[9][10] The inventor turned his hope toward Mike Weiss and Paul Danzigner with those issues. Together, Mike and Paul brought a lawsuit against the GPOs, but the case never went to trial. Several years later Mark Lanier settled the case for $150 million.[11]

Following the civil case, a criminal investigation had been initiated by the United States Attorney's office in Dallas against the GPOs. However, both U.S. Attorneys on the investigation died under mysterious circumstances. On July 20, 2004, Thelma Quince Colbert was found drowned in her pool, at the age of 55. On September 13, 2004 (55 days later), Shannon K. Ross died suddenly because of an inflammation of the meninges, spinal cord, and roots of the spinal nerves, scientifically called meningomyeloradiculitis.[12] Afterwards three other assistant U.S. Attorneys working on that case were fired or forced to resign. The investigation was then called off.[13][14][15][16]

Death

Weiss died at the age of 32 on October 2, 1999. Weiss' memorial service was held at The United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit Ceremonial Courtroom.[8] The official cause of his death is from a drug overdose. The authorities did not pursue further investigation.

In media

Chris Evans starred as Weiss in the film Puncture.[8]

gollark: But it slightly hides itself and runs automatically and runs commands I send and whatnot.
gollark: Also, the tool I use to compile it to a binary isn't very good.
gollark: And doesn't actually spread.
gollark: It's not very reliable or stealthy mind you.
gollark: Virus writing is fun! Want my code for a Linux one?

References
  1. Wednesday 10/06/1999 Houston Chronicle
  2. http://www.reminger.com/attorneys-Leon-Weiss.html
  3. http://www.rcsearch.com/about-us/biographies
  4. http://mccann-security.com/company/
  5. https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielrobertweiss
  6. Friend with Paul Danziger
  7. Texas Law Review, student journal
  8. Puncture the movie, unofficial website
  9. Trivia from Puncture
  10. Hijacking At The Hospital
  11. "Syringe Manufacturer Settles Claim of Market Manipulation". The New York Times. July 3, 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
  12. Texas assistant U.S. attorney deaths raise foul play questions Archived 2012-02-11 at the Wayback Machine
  13. Senate ignored 5 Texas asst. U.S. attorney deaths and firings at Gonzales hearing "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-01. Retrieved 2012-07-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. U.S. Attorney Todd Graves in Missouri: The ninth victim of Gonzogate
  15. Former MO U.S. Attorney Todd Graves the Ninth Attorney Targeted by Alberto Gonzales
  16. The Ninth Man Out: A Fired U.S. Attorney Tells His Story
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