What happens when a nurse is ordered to do something illegal or unethical? What should a nurse do when ordered to falsify a patient's record? Is her behavior justified because she is following orders from a superior?

These important and troubling questions were raised but left unanswered by a recent Connecticut malpractice case. The case has received much attention because the verdict awarded the plaintiff— $3.6 million — is the largest in the history of the state. The case should interest nurses, not because of the record-making verdict, but because of ethical problems raised by the behavior of the attending staff.