Noteworthy results

White v. Dr. S

The patient in this case was a very accomplished attorney who graduated from U.C. Berkeley Boalt Hall and also obtained an MBA from Harvard School of Business.  She practiced law in San Francisco for several years and then obtained a job as the Executive Director of the Thelton Henderson Center at U.C. Berkeley.  Despite her many accomplishments, the patient also suffered from Bipolar Disorder throughout her adult life.

She started treating with our client, a psychiatrist, in 2005 and eventually our client felt she was also afflicted with Attention Deficit Disorder and tried her on a low dose of stimulant medication to help with long-standing problems with inability to focus, loss of concentration, and procrastination.

The patient had many stressors in her life relating to accumulated debt as a result of a prior manic episode many years before, relationship problems, and employment turmoil.  In 2013 she experienced another major manic episode resulting in the University of California not extending her employment contract which was up for renewal.

The patient sued Dr. S claiming that his prescription of stimulant medication precipitated the manic attack and that he delayed in the diagnosis and further treatment of her manic disorder.  Mark Oium and Bret Landess defended and tried the case on behalf of Dr. S.  Their defense focused on the patient’s long-standing mental health condition and presented experts in Bipolar Disorder at trial who testified that Dr. S’s care and treatment of the patient was fully within the standard of care and was not the cause of the patient’s manic episode.  After a month-long trial, a 12-person jury rendered a verdict in favor of Dr. S.  The firm was successful in securing a judgment of costs in excess of $100,000 on behalf of Dr. S.

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