JURY CLEARS T.O. DOCTOR IN LAWSUIT; PANEL REJECTS WOMAN'S CLAIMS OF MALPRACTICE.Byline: Don Holland Daily News Staff Writer A jury took less than an hour Monday to find in favor of a Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. obstetrician obstetrician /ob·ste·tri·cian/ (ob?ste-trish´in) one who practices obstetrics. ob·ste·tri·cian n. A physician who specializes in obstetrics. who refused to settle a medical malpractice Improper, unskilled, or negligent treatment of a patient by a physician, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, or other health care professional. suit for $1. An emotional Dr. Edward M. Feldman breathed a sigh of relief as the nine-man, three-woman jury found he was not negligent in treating a former patient, Amber Onstot of Moorpark. ``I was a little anxious, of course, because it's such a traumatic moment in one's life - and never having been a defendant before,'' said Feldman after the verdict. ``It was a very emotional moment. I looked at my wife and I reached out to my lawyer,'' he recalled, weeping. ``I felt that it was over. This has been many months of this stuff where you awaken each morning and as soon as you have a conscious thought, you're dealing with this stuff again.'' Following morning testimony from a defense witness, opposing attorneys made their closing arguments in the 3-1/2-day trial before the jury broke for lunch. Some 45 minutes after starting deliberations, the panel reached its unanimous verdict. Onstot had claimed that Feldman hurt her during exams in 1997 and tried to intimidate in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. her into having a Caesarean section caesarean section: see cesarean section. delivery so he could go on vacation. Several days after Onstot switched doctors without ever complaining to Feldman, she gave birth to a healthy boy by Caesarean section. Feldman refused a series of settlement offers and in February won a nonbinding arbitration judgment. A short while later, the Onstots offered to settle for $1, an offer that remained on the table through Monday morning. Onstot's attorney and husband, Stephen Onstot, did not return a phone call. ``More than in money, it cost me a great deal of emotional pain, more from observing my family suffer from this,'' said Feldman, who was headed back to his Thousand Oaks office to see patients. ``We tried to stand tall together as a family and made a decision we would not submit to this.'' Feldman, once chief of obstetrics obstetrics (ŏbstĕ`trĭks), branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of women during pregnancy, labor, childbirth (see birth), and the time after childbirth. at Los Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
n. A U.S. military decoration awarded either for heroism or for meritorious achievement in ground combat. Noun 1. for bravery as a combat surgeon in Vietnam, said publicity surrounding the case had not hurt his reputation. Feldman said he may see the Onstots again in court if he chooses to seek civil damages for their case. ``I don't like to think in terms of retribution, but there is a mechanism to respond to this sort of behavior. And I expect to invoke it,'' Feldman said. During closing arguments, Stephen Onstot portrayed Feldman as a manipulative liar and a ``control freak'' who was more interested in his own vacation plans than his patients. ``Amber is here asking for closure on this very bad, very stressful part of her life,'' Stephen Onstot said during his closing statement. ``It's not money. It's accountability and it's closure.'' |
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