Shooting the Messenger (I’ve Been Sued Again) – Updated

Off-the-record, Justice Hart continually pressured Dr. Katz to state on the record he would no longer practice “medical-legal” examinations, repeatedly berated Dr, Katz, stating that “his career was over,” and even stated that defendants’ counsel wanted to “tear [Dr. Katz] a new asshole.”

And this (¶128):

Again counsel, it is not the time so much if the doctor thinks he can explain the time. It is not the time problem. It is that there are tests that he testified to that he didn’t do. That is the perjury.

In other words, the damage to Katz’s reputation were based on the exceptionally sharp comments of Justice Hart. The was brought on, according to the judge, by Katz’s conduct.

But Katz can’t sue the judge. Hence the title of this post, Shooting the Messenger, for I was the one to report it.

I ask you dear reader, is this not newsworthy? Especially in light of Katz’s claim that he has “testified in countless personal injury and medical malpractice cases as an expert witness, most often for defendants, over the past twenty years” (¶10) and that he was “one of the premier expert witnesses in the field of orthopedic medicine” by the time this case came up (¶41) and that he was “a highly regarded expert witness in the area of orthopedic medicine” (¶44).

So, if you take his self-description at face value, yes, the trauma to such a person’s integrity by a judge would certainly seem to fit any definition of newsworthiness.

149. Turkewitz also falsely stated and implied that Dr.Katz was being investigated by the Attorney General’s Offîce and the Office of Professional Medical Conduct despite the fact there was no evidence of any such investigation when Turkewitz published his blog posts.

Given that Katz had already quoted the judge saying he was going to do exactly that — report him to the D.A. and Office of Professional Medical Conduct — it is bizarre to complain that I reported it. How can it be defamatory to report on what a judge said?

This is one of the many comments that Katz himself quotes of Justice Hart on the issue (¶124):

This dumping of crap into a complaint indicates a person scrambling to find an issue somewhere, someplace.  And it reminds me of a post I wrote last year, on the importance of lawyers saying “no” to potential clients. Lousy defamation cases happened to be one of my examples.

Vetting a new case is important. The fact that a potential client has hurt feelings because a judge said mean things about him, and it was reported, is not enough to sustain a defamation lawsuit. Not in the United States, anyway.

In my postings I offered not only my opinions on why the potential legal troubles were significant to Katz, but more importantly, offered my opinions in a series of posts about why I thought this was one piece of evidence of pervasive insurance fraud that I believe is ongoing by the insurance companies themselves. I’ve called for an investigation by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman or NYS Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky (as he oversees the insurance industry).

And lest the part about a free press be unclear, New York has its own Civil Rights Law § 74 that makes it even clearer, though Katz and his counsel seem to be blissfully ignorant of it:

A civil action cannot be maintained against any person, firm or corporation, for the publication of a fair and true report of any judicial proceeding, legislative proceeding or other official proceeding, or for any heading of the report which is a fair and true headnote of the statement published.

The Complaint makes some other patently idiotic allegations, such as this one (¶25):

Even if was true true — and the ABA Journal apparently didn’t think so when it kept picking me for its Blawg 100 and selected me for its Blawg Hall of Fame, based on being “a great source for news and commentary” — what difference would it make?

Is the citizenry supposed to curtail opinions because a writing is provocative? Can anyone else hear Thomas Paine laughing? Has anyone seen cable “news” shows lately or listened to talk radio? Rush Limbaugh (and a gazillion others) would shrivel up and die if he couldn’t be provocative or scandalous.

So where is the gravamen of the complaint against me?  It is by this type of allegation (¶27):

Turkewitz falsely stated and implied, among other things, that Dr. Katz had committed perjury, fraud and was guilty of racketeering. Turkewitz’s blog posts were intended to create the impression that Dr. Katz had been charged with and/or convicted of criminal perjury and other crimes which would make him unfit to act as an expert witness.

The problem with the allegation is that I never said he was convicted of anything. And Katz’s lawyer knows that, which is why there is no quote of me ever writing such a thing. But it does get repeated many times, as if repeating it like some talismanic incantation will magically make it truthy.

And then there is this one (¶28):

In that post, I also detailed the other times I was threatened. I’ve also defended another defamation suit with a take-no-prisnors attitude. It has never ended well for those that threatened or sued.

Was filing this suit a dumb thing to do? Yes, on multiple levels.

First, if Justice Hart didn’t previously report this matter to the D.A. or the Office of Professional Medical Conduct, this suit may act as a reminder.

Second, Katz has now further publicized the vicious tongue-lashing that he received from a judge. I learned about it from a New York Post reporter, and that call was followed up by a Daily News reporter, both the day after it was filed. Who alerted them?

By suing the messenger, Katz invites not only repetition of the claims he has catalogued, but enormous backlash from free speech advocates. There are a great many people who don’t take kindly to frivolous defamation claims and the chilling of free speech that often comes with them. There is a fair chance that those who did not previously know about Katz, will now learn.

Updated 5/28/14: Justice F. Dana Winslow has ruled on a motion in another case about whether Katz can be cross-examined on Justice Hart’s conclusions. The answer is, yes he can. The matter is Graser v. Dimeo, where Katz claims to have done a 45-minute defense medical exam.

This was the reasoning:

It is well settled that, for impeachment purposes, a witness may be cross-examined with respect to prior immoral, vicious or criminal acts which have a bearing on the witness’s credibility. Badr v. Hogan, 75 NY2d 629. The Court of Appeals has extended the rule beyond the “immoral, vicious or criminal’ categories to include prior conduct that simply demonstrates the witness’s “untruthful bent,” such as using an alias [People v. Walker, 83 NY2d 455], or publishing books advocating cheating [People v. Coleman, 56 NY2d 269].

The cross-examiner must have a reasonable basis in fact for asking questions about prior misconduct, and must do so in good faith. People v. Kass, 25 N.Y.2d 123; People v. Green, 272 A.D.2d 341. If the witness denies the prior misconduct, the cross-examiner may press the witness further, but is not permitted to introduce extrinsic evidence to refute the witness’s denial. Id., at 635.

In the case at bar, the Court finds that plaintiff has a reasonable, good faith basis, to cross-examine Dr. Katz regarding the truthfulness of his testimony in the Bermejo Action. Dr. Katz’s prior conduct need not have resulted in a formal adjudication of wrongdoing. It is enough that facts exist which tend to show a propensity for untruthfulness; that is that Dr. Katz gave false information in circumstances in which he was required to be truthful. See People v. Walker, 83 NY2d at 461. Plaintiff’s counsel may ask Dr. Katz about his testimony in the Bermejo Action and about the underlying facts which suggest that his testimony was false. Counsel may not, however, call other witnesses or introduce extrinsic evidence (such as the video recording), to refute Dr. Katz’s answers.

Although such inquiry may be prejudicial to defendant, the Court notes that if it weren’t, it would be of no use to the plaintiff. The question is not whether such inquiry is prejudicial, but whether it is unfairly or unduly so. The Court determines that it is not. Where, as here, the inquiry has a factual basis, and bears on the question of the witness’s credibility, it is fairly and properly allowed. See Castillo v. 62-25 30th Avenue Realty, LLC, 74 AD3d 1116 (allowing defense counsel to question plaintiff’s treating physician regarding underlying factual allegations that led to suspension of his license to practice medicine); Spanier v. New York City Tr. Auth., 222 AD2d 219 (allowing defense counsel to question plaintiff’s treating physician about prior allegations of improper billing).

The Court thus finds no basis to bar the cross-examination of Dr. Katz regarding the proceedings in the Bermejo Action. The nature and extent of such cross-examination is left to the discretion of the trial judge. See Badr v. Hogan, 75 NY2d at 634.

* While I originally wrote the suit was for $40 million, that should have been $40 million for each of five different causes of action for an aggregate claim of $200 million.

Elsewhere on the suit:

Simple Justice (Scott Greenfield):

This has nothing to do with the fact that Justice Hart found Katz to be a liar, of course, but it’s all that Turk’s fault because he posts “provocative and/or scandalous material.”

Legal Satyricon (Marc Randazza):

If Dr. Katz dared to file suit in Nevada, California, Oregon, or a growing number of other states with meaningful anti-SLAPP statutes, his litigation campaign would likely end post haste. It would be thrown out of court, and the judge would bruise his ego in the shape of the defendants’ attorneys fees and costs. But this is not California, or even Nevada – it is New York. Without meaningful relief, we are left only with the disinfectant of cleansing light shone upon those who file such censorious lawsuits.