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	Tweeting Allowed in Reardon Case Hartford Courant April 1, 2011 http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-reardon-twitter-0402-20110401,0,3549257.story In advance of the first civil trial against St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in the case of Dr. George Reardon, the judge has said he will allow members of the public and the media to tweet from the courtroom. The case is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Superior Court in Waterbury before Judge Dan Shaban. Reporters' use of Twitter to report courtroom activities as they occur has become popular in Connecticut courtrooms, perhaps most pronounced in the first Cheshire home-invasion trial last year. The judge in that case allowed the practice and, just recently, decided to allow tweeting in the trial of the second Cheshire defendant this year. A set of ground rules, distributed by the judicial system Friday, said people in the gallery in the Reardon case will be allowed to use laptops and tweet "provided they are not disruptive." The case involves allegations of sexual abuse, and no photos or videotaping will be allowed in court. About 90 adults have lawsuits pending in which they claim that, as children, Reardon photographed and abused them under the guise of a long-term study of growth patterns among children and adolescents. Reardon, of West Hartford, died in 1998. He was chief of endocrinology at St. Francis from 1963, when he joined the hospital, until 1993, when abuse allegations became public and he retired in an effort to stop a state investigation. The suits assert that St. Francis funded Reardon's research and agreed to ensure that it was done under recognized standards. The victims claim the hospital was negligent by failing to supervise Reardon and protect his subjects. A six-person jury will hear the first case. The judge has not established a schedule for subsequent trials.
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