PLANNED PARENTHOOD'S MALPRACTICE

The following cases reflect the medical malpractice suits filed against Planned Parenthood clinics or against the doctors who service Planned Parenthood in Los Angeles County area only. This summary also lists cases in which women sued Planned Parenthood for allegedly referring them to sub-standard doctors who later injured them.

Because the number of malpractice lawsuits filed against the doctors connected with Planned Parenthood is so large, the following cases reveal the records of those doctors whose questionable skills brought down malpractice suits against Planned Parenthood as well as on themselves. The doctors profiled are David Battin, M.D., Gerald Bernstein, M.D., Use Fortier, M.D., Lloyd Grieg, M.D. & Paul Toomer, M.D. (gynecological surgery, IUD installations & abortions) & David Rhodes, M.D., Jerome Richie, M.D., & Stephen Sacks, M.D. (vasectomies & urological surgery). Note that patients generally filed "DWP -- dismiss with prejudice" paper work. All this means is that the case is over & does not specify whether the patient was able to make a reasonable settlement or whether the case was simply "dropped".

1. MARVIN KAPLAN - C34540. This doctor, Bresky's former boss, sued Bresky for allegedly refusing to render emergency treatment to several of his patients when he worked for him & for stealing patients after they parted company. He settled the case out of court with Bresky 10/18/72. The court paper work includes the pleadings, the document proving a settlement took place & the DWP.

2. BETTY JEAN WILLIAMS - C37074. She sued Sacks for malpractice in connecton with the 1972 death of her husband, George Williams. (Williams died at LA County/Harbor General Hospital following surgery there.) She settled the case for at least $45,000 6/4/75. The court paper work includes the pleadings, a pleading amendment tying Sacks to the case, the 5/14/75 DWP of Mrs. Williams' claim, the settlement paper work showing each of Williams' three children would receive $15,000 less expenses, & the court order approving the childrens' claims.

3. MICHAEL & CYNTHIA LUDWELL - C46291. They sued Planned Parenthood & a contraceptive foam manufacturer, alleging the foam a Planned Parenthood staffer had recommended they use did not prevent Mrs. Ludwell from becoming pregnant & bearing a child in 1972. DWP 1/26/78. The court paper work includes a motion from the foam manufacturer (which explains the case) & the DWP. In a related case -C145074- the Ludwells sued Planned Parenthood, alleging Depo-provera a Planned Parenthood staffer had reportedly given to Mrs. Indwell caused their daughter birth defects. There is no paper work in the file proving this case was settled. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

4. TAMMY REED - C60883. She sued Bernstein in connection with ovarian cyst surgery she underwent in LA. County/USC Medical Center in 1972. She claimed the treatment the facility's doctors gave her caused gynecological damage & motor-nerve damage. She settled the case out of court 2/8/77. The court paper work includes the pleadings, LA. County's answers to interrogatories dated 8/1/73 (which linked Bernstein to the surgery), a second set of answers to interrogatories (which describe some of the problems Ms. Reed had after surgery), Reed's answers to interrogatories (in which she gave her account of her treatment & injuries), the settlement document & the DWP.

5. ELIZABETH TEN NAPEL - C73761. She sued Sacks & Richie in connection with corrective surgery they evidently attempted on her at UCLA in 1972 & 1973. (She had undergone bowel surgery & the doctors who performed the corrective surgery on her at UCLA evidently caused her incontinence by removing too much sphincter tissue & improperly repairing the urethra, leaving her forced to urinate into a bag.) DWP 12/22/78. The court paper work includes Mrs. Ten Napel's answers to interrogatories (which name Richie & Sacks), her lawyer's brief (which explains the case) & the DWPs.

6. ARMANDO & LINDA LOPEZ - C84699 This couple sued Bernstein & Planned Parenthood, alleging Sacks botched a vasectomy he performed on Mr. Lopez in 1973 & that Mrs. Lopez became pregnant despite her husband's vasectomy. They also accused a Planned Parenthood staffer of humiliating Mrs. Lopez by implying she had been unfaithful, & added Planned Parenthood staffers had tried to talk Mrs. Lopez into having an abortion. The case went to trial; the jury decided in favor of Planned Parenthood 3/29/79. The court paper work included a Planned Parenthood complaint alleging the lab that tested Mr. Lopez's semen did it incompetently, Planned Parenthood's answers to interrogatories (in which their spokesman said
Sacks did the vasectomy & confirmed Planned Parenthood had counseled for an abortion), Mrs. Lopez's answers to interrogatories (in which she accused the Planned Parenthood staffer of demeaning her & mentioned the family problems the botched vasectomy caused her), & the verdict sheet.

7. WENDY GRAYSON - C101788. She alleged a Planned Parenthood staffer installed an IUD in her in 1972 so negligently she suffered pelvic inflammatory disease & uterus damage. The case was settled out of court 1/3/78. The court paper work includes the pleadings, two pages of her answers to one set of interrogatories & seven pages of her answers to another set of interrogatories, the settlement sheet & the DWP.

8. ROGER CHRISTIANSEN - C114758. He claimed Richie performed a vasectomy on him at Planned Parenthood in 1974 so negligently he lost a testicle. DWP 4/11/77. The court paper work includes the pleadings & the DWP.

9. RANDALL BELSHEIM - C155152. He claimed Sacks performed a vasectomy on him at Planned Parenthood in 1975 so negligently he suffered fluid build-up in his scrotum, had to undergo corrective surgery elsewhere, & suffered pain repeatedly during sex with his wife. She claimed the vasectomy complications prevented him from having sex with her for a long time. DWP 4/23/79. The court paper work includes the pleadings, his answers to interrogatories, some medical bills & the DWP.

10. ANNA MORAN - C179519. She claimed a Planned Parenthood staffer installed an IUD in her in 1975 so negligently it caused her uterus damage, a uterine infection & a cyst Her husband also sued, alleging the damage his wife suffered rendered her unable to have sex with him. She settled with Planned Parenthood for $3500. DWP 10/6/80. The court paper work includes the pleadings, 3 pages of her answers to interrogatories (in which she explained her complications), her lawyer's statement (which explained the settlement) & the DWP.

11. MARGARET COHN - C179733. She sued Sacks for injecting her with drugs in 1975 that caused her severe adverse reactoins even though she had allegedly told him she was allergic to many drugs. (She evidently started choking immediately, then passed out in Sacks' office, then had to be hospitalized for the complications. She also said she suffered heart damage, loss of limb movement, tongue swelling so severe she was unable to speak clearly & facial distortion so severe it forced her eyes shut) The case was settled out of court 10/28/81. The court paper work includes her answers to interrogatores, Sacks' answers to interrogatories (in which he admitted she suffered reactions so severe she had to be hospitalized), her statement (in which she described her immediate adverse reactions), the document proving the settlement took place & the DWP.

12. CANDIDITA GRONSKI - C195831. She sued Planned Parenthood for unspecified malpractice, alleging a Planned Parenthood staffer damaged her so seriously in 1975 she required emergency surgery at a local hospital. There is no paper work in the file proving this case was settled. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

13. KELLY McDANIEL - Cl97756. The mother of this high-school girl sued Bresky for evidently botching her 1976 abortion so terribly she had to have the rest of the baby cut out of her elsewhere & suffered a pelvic infection severe enough to damage her kidneys permanently. In a settlement 7/28/78, Bresky agreed to pay the girl $2,500 a month for life (with an inflation adjustment) S agreed to pay her mother $13,000 for medical expenses she incurred. He also paid Mrs. McDaniel $50,000 for her giving up her right to sue him for wrongful death in case the damage he inflicted on Kelly eventually were to kill her. The court paper work includes interrogatories from Bresky's lawyer (which admit Bresky didnf get all of the baby out), Mrs. McDaniel's answers to interrogatories (in which she outlined the damage her daughter suffered & accused Bresky of sub-standard care for doing 30 other abortions the afternoon he did Kelly's), the settlement documents & the DWP.

14. ANDREA MILLER - C265214. She claimed a Planned Parenthood staffer punctured her uterus when he performed an abortion on her in 1978. She added she required corrective surgery at a hospital-evidently LA County/USC Medical Center. The case went to arbitration 2/19/82; DWP 8/3/83. The court paper work includes the pleadings, the arbitration sheet & the DWP.

15. ZEPHYR JOHNSON - C286430. She claimed Grieg performed an abortion on her in 1978 so negligently he caused her unspecified gynecological damage. The case went to arbitration 7/23/82; DWP 10/14/82. The court paper work includes the pleadings the arbitration sheet & the DWP.

16. RICHARD HICKS - C300960. He claimed a Planned Parenthood doctor (almost certainly Rhodes) performed a vasectomy on him at Planned Parenthood in 1978 so negligently his testicles became infected, forcing him to undergo corrective surgery & a 3-day hospital stay. He also alleged Planned Parenthood staffers delayed him from seeing a doctor for several days & that the Planned Parenthood doctor who was supposed to perform the corrective surgery did not show up as promised. DWP vs. Rhodes 3/14/83; the case is still active against Planned Parenthood. The court paper work includes Hicks' statement, a Planned Parenthood document implying Rhodes did the surgery & the DWP.

17. KATHRYN TAYLOR - C328176. She claimed a doctor installed an IUD in her in 1979 so negligently it caused her pelvic inflammatory disease. Judge Thomas Johnson dismissed the case for lack of prosecution 5/18/84. The court paper work includes the pleadings & the dismissal.

18. JANET BAUER - C351788. She alleged Bresky performed an abortion on her so negligently in 1980 he tore a hoel through her uterus, causing her to bleed severely & possibly rendering her sterile. Judge C.W. Pike dismissed her case 1/7/85. The court paper work includes the pleadings & the dismissal.

19. KIM GILPIN - C360410. She sued Bresky, who was supposed to deliver her baby, for leaving his post This, she claimed, led to her suffering a perineal laceration & requiring reconstructive surgery after a nurse delivered the baby. The case is still active; it went to trial in 1986, but Judge Earl Riley declared a mistrial 3/3/86 when Ms. Gilpin's lawyer suffered a death in his family. The court paper work includes a brief from Bresky's lawyer (which sums the case) & the mistrial document.

20. SUSAN BURCH - C366673. She accused a Planned Parenthood staffer of installing an IUD in her so negligently he caused her uterine damage. Her husband also sued, claiming the doctor's reported faulty work had rendered his wife unable to have sex with him. DWP 11/13/84. The court paper work includes the pleadings, a dismissal by Planned Parenthood of a lawsuit it filed against the IUD manufacturer & the DWP.

21. DONNA BOVEE - C405360. She alleged Sacks performed urdogical surgery on her in 1980 so negligently she suffered kidney damage. Judge Jack Goertzen dismissed the case for lack of prosecution 2/27/86. The court paper work includes the pleadings & the dismissal.

22. BAERBEL STRUTHERS - C430420. She claimed Fortier punctured her intestine when she performed a "birth control procedure" (almost certainly an abortion) on her at Planned Parenthood in 1982. DWP 11/14/83. The court paper work includes the pleadings & the DWP.

23. MARIA PINEDA - C440473. She claimed Fortier performed an abortion on her in 1982 so negligently she lacerated her uterus & rendered her sterile. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings & the Planned Parenthood response (which explains the case).

24. JULIE AMSTER - C458045. She sued Sacks in connection with a D&C she underwent between late 1979 & late 1981. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings. 

25. MEGAN COLLINS - C467236. She sued Grieg for allegedly giving her poor prenatal treat ment & delivering her baby negligently enough in 1981 to cause her unspecified birth defects. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

26. JACK ESSERMAN - C478442. He sued Sacks (or urological malpractice in connection with treatment he received from 1978-1983. His wife also sued, alleging the treatment rendered her husband unable to have sex with her. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

27. MARY VAN NESS - C558915. She claimed a Planned Parenthood staffer performed abortion on her in 1984 so negligently he caused her bleeding & infection. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

28. RICHARD & VIRGINIA DIAZ - C527008. They alleged Bresky gave their child such negligent post-natal care when he delivered their child at his birthing center in 1984 it died of a bacterial infection. They also claimed Bresky treated them rudely & meanly after their child's death, claiming the child died of crib death, telling them they were too old to have children & insisting they not try to parent any more. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

29. JANICE LANGER - C559727. She alleged a Planned Parenthood staffer installed an IUD in her so negligently he rendered her sterile. (She said she had a Planned Parenthood staffer remove the device a year after it was put in, & that the doctor to whom she went for fertility tests in 1984 told her the IUD had scarred her.) The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

30. DENISE SCELSI - C560364. She accused a Planned Parenthood staffer of scarring & burning her thighs & vagina while giving her unspecified gynecological treatment in 1984. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings & a request from Planned Parenthood's lawyer demanding pictures of Ms. Scelsi's thighs & vagina before & after the incident. 

31. SUSAN KUSSART - EAC47511. She accused a Planned Parenthood staffer of installing an IUD in her so negligently it punctured her uterus in 1984. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

32. SHARON GRIFFIN - EAC50834/EAC50871. She sued Planned Parenthood in connection with treatment she received in 1984 that was apparently so negligent she suffered unspecified bodily damage. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

33. CINDY ANSPACH - NEC10390. She alleged a Planned Parenthood staffer installed an IUD in her so negligently in 1970 he caused her unspecified gynecological injuries. She settled the case out of court 1/3/72. The court paper work includes the pleadings, Planned Parenthood's offer to settle out of court for $500 & the DWP.

34. ANGELICA OUVA - NEC34983. She sued Planned Parenthood for denial of public health care services, as well as for racism & religious discrimination, because Planned Parenthood staffers reportedly refused her post-partum care in 1982 after she refused to submit to sertilization or promise to use artificial birth control means. (Ms. Oliva qualified for
Medi-Cal assistance & Planned Parenthood was the agency her hometown (Pasadena) had contracted to provide Medi-Cal post-partum care). DWP 1/7/85. The court paper work includes the pleadings & the DWP.

35. GLEN KNECHT - NWC20402. He sued Bresky & another doctor for performing unspecified gynecological surgery on his wife in 1970 she bled heavily & died that afternoon. In a pre-trial conference 5/30/73, Knecht settled for $45,000. The court paper work includes the pleadings, Knecht's answers to interrogatories, the settlement document & the DWP.

36. LOU MILBURN - NWC28957. She sued Bresky for allegedly delivering her baby in 1971 so negligently he caused the infant brain damage & breathing problems. She filed a dismissal without prejudice (meaning she may have settled with Bresky on the condition he do something for her over a time period) 2/15/75. The court paper work includes the pleadings, the DWP & the court dismissal notice.

37. CAROL DAVIS - NWC32503. She claimed Bresky performed a hysterectomy on her in 1972 so negligently he caused her a pelvic infection. DWP 2/27/75. The court paper work includes the pleadings & the DWPs against Bresky, another doctor, & their facility.

38. ANN HIGGINS - NWC34700. She alleged Bresky botched an abortion he performed on her in 1973, causing her to have the baby killed & removed at another facility. DWP 11/26/75. The court paper work includes Ms. Higgins' answers to interrogatories, Bresky's answers to interrogatories & the DWPs.

39. NANCY MARASCHEL - NWC35816. She claimed a Planned Parenthood staffer installed an IUD in her in 1973 negligently enough to cause her a severe uterine infection. She also claimed the staffers refused to take it out of her when she complained of uterine pain (she said they told her it was safe even if it imbedded in her uterine wall - which it was) & she had to go to a hospital to have it removed. She settled the case in a pre-trial conference 11/24/75. The court paper work includes her answers to interrogatories, the document proving the case was settled, & the DWP.13-14).

40. REGINA HALL - NWC40933. The mother of this high-school girl sued Bresky for allegedly performing an abortion on the girl in 1974 so negligently she required a 2-week long hospital stay to repair the damage he did. (She said Bresky punctured her uterus, left some of the baby inside her uterus & caused her infection.) DWP 2/25/77. The court paper work includes Bresky's answers to interrogatories, his facility's answers to interrogatories (in which administrators admitted Bresky took only one minute to do the abortion & spent an average of four minutes per abortion), Regina Hall's answers to interrogatories (in which she listed her alleged injuries) & the DWP.

41. PAULETTE MANZ - NWC46772. She sued Planned Parenthood, alleging Bresky performed an abortion on her in 1975 negligently enough to cause her unspecified injuries. (The abortion was the sad climax to Ms. Manz's pregnancy - she had gone for a premarital blood test & was given the German measles vaccine by a nurse who apparently neither checked if she was pregnant nor told her the vaccine could cause her unborn baby birth defects. She said she underwent the abortion on the advice of the nurse's doctor after she received the vaccine ... even though she had wanted to keep the child.) She sued the doctor involved as well as Planned Parenthood; Judge Dan Kaufmann threw out her complaint against Planned Parenthood 9/24/79. The jury that heard her case against the doctor whose nurse inoculated her ruled in favor of the doctor 9/27/79. The court paper work includes Ms. Manz's answers to interrogatories, her lawyer's brief (which sums the case) & the documents that show the judge threw out the case against Planned Parenthood & that the jury ruled against Ms. Manz.

42. LINDA SCHAUER - NWC58089. She sued Bresky for allegedly botching a tubal ligation he did on her in 1972, causing her to become pregnant & bear a child later. There is nothing in the file proving the case was settled. The court paper work includes the pleadings

43. PAM SMITH - NWC63969. She claimed Bresky botched her 1976 abortion, causing her to give birth a few months later. The case went to trial; Bresky won the case 6/1/83 because the jury didn't unanimously find him guilty of malpractice. The court paper work includes the pleadings & the verdict document

44. LYNELL BADILLO - NWC76249. She sued Planned Parenthood because an IUD one of its staffers installed in her in 1978 reportedly damaged her uterus. She settled with Planned Parenthood out of court 5/21/84. The court paper work includes the pleadings, the DWPs & the settlement sheet

45. LAURIE BUESCHER - NWC81366. She accused Toomer of performing an abortion on her at Planned Parenthood in 1978 so negligently he caused her unspecified bodily damage There is no paper work in the file proving this case was settled. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

46. WILLA WRIGHT - NWC88054. She claimed Bresky gave her such negligent pre-natal care in 1982 she miscarried. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

47. PENELOPE AGUILAR - NWC91836. She accused Bresky of unspecified malpractice for treatment he gave her in 1981. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

48. DEBORAH DAVIS - NWC96717. She alleged Battin caused her unspecified bodily damage while operating on her at Planned Parenthood in 1983. She apparently settled out of court with Planned Parenthood for $15,000 in March 1984. The court paper work includes the pleadings, Planned Parenthood's offer to settle & the DWP.

49. MARLENE CLARK - NWC13317. She claimed Toomer performed a Caesarian section on her so negligently in 1984 she required follow-up surgery. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

50. MIKE & JANICE NICHOLS - NWC14046. They claimed Bresky delivered their baby at his birthing clinic in 1984 so negligently that the infant died. They also alleged Bresky sterilized Mrs. Nichols without getting her informed consent. The case is still active. The court paper work includes the pleadings.

51. CLAUDIA BROWNLEE - SWC31649. She asserted Bresky performed an abortion on her in 1974 so negligently she suffered pelvic inflammatory disease & required emergency hosprtalization. She also said he caused her kidney damage & rendered her sterile. The case went to trial; she settled the case in a court conference during the trial 7/21/76. The court paper work includes the pleadings (which explained her injuries & also accused Bresky of doing excessively large numbers of abortions & packing women into his facility's recovery room), Bresky's answers to interrogatories (which confirm Ms. Brownlee was hospitalized for pelvic inflammatory disease), the document proving a settlement took place & the DWP.

52. PATRICIA CRAVER - WEC56089. She sued Greig for treatment he gave her in 1977 claiming he negligently caused her unspecified bodily damage. Greig settled with Ms. Graver for $8,500 in a pre-trial conference 2/8/79. The court paper work inlcudes the pleadings the settlement document & the DWP.

53. HARRY BALK - WEC66264. He claimed Sacks punctured his intestines & caused him an infection when he performed urological surgery on him in 1979. His wife also sued, alleging Sack's surgery had rendered her husband unable to have sex with her. There is nothing in the file that proves the case was settled. The court paper work includes the pleadings (pp. 1-6 & 13-14).

54. CHRISTINE REA - WEC71492. She sued Planned Parenthood because one of its staffers allegedly botched her abortion in 1980, causing her to give birth later that year. There is nothing in the file that proves the case was settled. The court paper work includes the pleadings.