Doug Morgan obtains defense verdict on behalf of Psychiatrist in Essex Superior Court (Lawrence)
MBB+M Shareholder Doug Morgan obtained a defense verdict on behalf of his client, a Psychiatrist, in a five-and-a-half-week trial in Essex Superior Court (Lawrence). Plaintiff was the former husband of the defendant psychiatrist who suffered from a deteriorating mental illness and was engaging in stockpiling guns, ammunition, and other military items in the belief that the Federal Government was organizing secret police to raid those who did not support the government. After the defendant psychiatrist fled her home for her own safety, the house was raided by local and Federal authorities based on anonymous reports of his stockpiling weapons and plans to use same. After being incarcerated, the plaintiff filed a Complaint alleging medical malpractice and libel against our client (his former wife) claiming failure to diagnose and properly treat and medicate plaintiff, as well as alerting authorities and causing his incarceration and damaging his reputation and earning capacity. The defense focused on the fact that our client was not plaintiff’s mental health provider, nor did she contact any authorities prompting a raid on the home. Further, the evidence demonstrated the plaintiff had his own mental health providers, yet he consistently failed to attend appointments and take his medication as prescribed which caused his deteriorating behavior and the ensuing events that led to his arrest. The jury returned a defense verdict for our client on standard of care and libel.
