About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2024)
4A Thursday, February 8, 2024 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia I gainesvilletimes.com STATE Examiner rules baby’s decapitation a homicide Ben Gray Associated Press A tear rolls down Jessica Ross’ cheek during a press conference about her baby, who was decapitated during delivery, during press conference, Wednesday, Feb. 7, at her lawyers office in Atlanta. BYSUDHINTHANAWALA Associated Press ATLANTA — A medical examiner has classified the death of a Georgia couple's baby that was decapitated during deliv ery as a homicide, their attorneys announced Wednesday. Treveon Taylor, Jr.'s parents have sued the hospital and the doctor who delivered him in July. Both denied any negligence. The Clayton County Medical Examiner's Office found the imme diate cause of the baby's death was a broken neck and said human action was to blame, according to an office statement distributed by attorneys at a news conference on Wednesday. The boy's parents, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., say Dr. Tracey St. Julian delayed a sur gical procedure and failed to seek help quickly when the baby got stuck during delivery. Instead, they say she applied excessive force to the baby's head and neck. “This is something that is clearly contraindicated,” their attorney, Roderick Edmond, who is also a physician, said Wednesday. “No credible, no reasonably competent obstetrician should ever do this.” Attorneys for St. Julian said they reject the finding that the baby's injury happened before death. “The separation of the head from the fetal body occurred post mortem and any assertion to the contrary is false,” they said in a statement. “Although tragic, that rare outcome has been reported in the medical literature and can hap pen in the absence of any wrongdo ing by the physician, which is the case here.” Scott Bailey, an attorney for St. Julian, said in a court filing in Sep tember that the doctor used “every maneuver a reasonable obstetrician would have employed” to deliver the baby when its shoulder got trapped. “Dr. St. Julian is an experienced, well-trained, extremely competent physician who acted decisively and reasonably under these circum stances,” he wrote. Bailey's filing also asserted that the trauma to the baby's head and neck occurred after death, in the process of attempting to deliver the fetus by cesarean and save Ross's life. It accused attorneys for Ross and Taylor Sr. of making “sala- ciously false public statements” to the contrary. The hospital where the baby was delivered, Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Geor gia, has also said the baby died in utero, prior to the delivery and decapitation. The hospital denied any negli gence in a court filing in November, and spokesperson Melinda Fulks said she couldn't comment Wednes day because of the pending lawsuit. Clayton County police were investigating, with the possibility of referring the case to prosecutors, the medical examiner's office said in its January 6 news release. An email to police was not immediately returned. Ga. legislators want filmmakers to do more to earn state tax credits Georgia House OKs $5B boost BY JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA — Top Geor gia lawmakers say movie makers should be required to do more than just show a peach at the end of the cred its to get the top benefit from Georgia's lucrative film tax credit. Thanks in large part to tax breaks, productions includ ing “The Hunger Games,” the Marvel movies, the Fast & Furious installment “Furi ous 7” and many others shot in Georgia have made the Peach State a hub for mov ies and television shows that might otherwise have been shot in Hollywood in an earlier era. The program has supported thousands of Geor gia jobs and the creation of several thriving studios. In a news conference Wednesday, legislative lead ers said they want companies to meet four of nine goals to receive the top 30% credit on Georgia income taxes. House Ways and Means Commit tee Chairman Shaw Black mon said that would include things such as shooting in rural Georgia, hiring more Georgia workers and sup porting production studios in the state. “We're certainly not limit ing the credit at all,” Black mon, a Bonaire Republican, told reporters after the news conference. “I think what we're trying to do is provide more value and a better return on investment for the taxpay ers and sustain the credits at the same time, so that indus try has an opportunity to con tinue to thrive.” That's the biggest announcement to come out a monthslong review of all the tax breaks that Georgia offers to various industries. Law makers also said Wednes day that they want to at least temporarily suspend a sales tax exemption on equipment offered to data centers. So many data centers are open ing or expanding in the state that it's causing a notable drain on the power grid, lead ing Georgia Power Co. to say it quickly needs to build or contract for new electrical generation capacity. Mike Stewart Associated Press Cast member Mark Ruffalo works during the filming of “Avengers: Infinity War,” Wednesday, July 5, 2017, in Atlanta. Georgia lawmakers said on Wednesday Feb. 7, that moviemakers should be required to do more than just show a peach at the end of the credits to get the top benefit from Georgia’s lucrative film tax credit. The announcements are a relatively modest outcome of the review, which Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones touts as a way to shore up tax revenue so that Georgia could further cut its income tax rate for all residents and businesses. “The only way to do that is by assessing all the tax cred its and incentives that are out there right now, adjust some of them, eliminate others,” Jones said “And that's what we're working on.” Jones and others said reviews would continue. There had been talk of capping the number of film tax credits Georgia would issue in a year — the state is projected to give out $1.35 billion in credits this year alone, and is one of six states without a cap. But industry groups lined up at hearings over the summer to defend the breaks as spurring eco nomic activity, and House lawmakers have been more likely to defend the tax breaks. The film tax credit has spurred a big increase in movies and TV shows made in Georgia, but state-spon sored evaluations show the credit's cost outweighs its economic benefit. A study last year by Georgia State University suggested the state saw a return of less than 20 cents on the dollar. Any production company can claim credits once they spend $500,000 on films, television shows, commer cials or music videos distrib uted outside the state. Credits start at 20% of production spending, but rise to 30% if a movie or television show displays Georgia's peach logo. The bill would raise this threshold to $1 million. The credits can only be used to reduce outstanding state income taxes owed, and can't be redeemed for cash. However, the credits are transferable — produc tion companies can sell them to any individual or busi ness with state income tax liability. In 2022, the state audi tor estimated $1.4 billion in such taxes were outstand ing. Some lawmakers fear there could be an unexpected spike in redemptions, hurting state revenue. So Blackmon said lawmakers want to limit redemption of transferred credits to 2.5% of the previ ous year's state revenue, or about $900 million currently. House Speaker Jon Burns said the primary reason for suspending Georgia's sales tax exemption on equip ment used in data centers is because of concerns about electricity use. Georgia Power testified in regulatory hearings last month that 80% of a forecast jump in electric ity demand would come from data centers. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found at least 18 data centers are being developed or expanded in Georgia. 1 aA RI M Eh ITS FOR RENT RPC Partners 2 Bedrin. Apartments Gainesville, Oakwood & Flowery Branch $ 300 Move in Special Plus Deposit 770-654-2807 to state budget BY JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA — Georgia's House backed changes to the state budget Wednesday that would add $5 billion in spending, including a burst of roadbuilding, new dental and medical schools, and money to cover bonuses paid to state employees and teachers. “Five billion dollars. You can do a lot of good with $5 bil lion,” House Appropriations Committee Chair Matt Hatch ett, a Dublin Republican, told House members. “Now, not every item in the budget is glamorous, but I can tell you it's needed.” The House voted 161-2 to pass a bill that adds money to the current budget running through June 30. The bill now goes to the Senate for its own changes. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp proposed the boost, which would push spending of state money to $37.5 billion. Total spending, including federal aid, college tuition, fines and fees, would rise to $67.5 billion The state can spend lots more, even though growth in tax collections is slowing, because Kemp set a revenue esti mate much lower than what the state will actually collect this year and because Georgia has $10.7 billion in surplus cash beyond its $5.4 billion rainy day fund. Kemp would spend up to $2 billion of the surplus. Because lawmakers can't spend above Kemp's revenue estimate, lawmakers can only cut or rearrange the gover nor's proposed spending. In some cases, the House voted to add back projects that Kemp originally struck from this year's budget, a move that provoked anger among lawmakers. Kemp has since allowed some of that spending to take place, and Hatchett said the House would continue to push for other items. The governor before Christmas ordered $1,000 bonuses paid to state and university employees and public school teachers. 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