Kendall v. Bd. of Osteopathic Examiners

105 Cal. App. 2d 239
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 2, 1951
DocketCiv. No. 14668
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 105 Cal. App. 2d 239 (Kendall v. Bd. of Osteopathic Examiners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kendall v. Bd. of Osteopathic Examiners, 105 Cal. App. 2d 239 (Cal. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinion

105 Cal.App.2d 239 (1951)

J. LANE KENDALL, Appellant,
v.
BOARD OF OSTEOPATHIC EXAMINERS, Respondent.

Civ. No. 14668.

California Court of Appeals. First Dist., Div. One.

July 2, 1951.

Piccirillo & Wolf for Appellant.

J. Robert Meserve for Respondent.

BRAY, J.

Respondent board, after a hearing of certain charges, revoked petitioner's license as a drugless practitioner. On application to the superior court for a writ of mandate to compel the restoration of the license, the revocation was affirmed and the writ denied. Petitioner appeals.

Questions Involved

1. Are the findings of the trial court and the board supported by the weight of the evidence?

2. Was petitioner denied a fair hearing because of alleged prejudice of a board member?

3. Concerning charges as to which no evidence was offered, was the board required to dismiss with prejudice?

Record

Petitioner was charged by the board with violation of section 2377 of the Business and Professions Code by procuring a criminal abortion on the persons of three women, referred to herein as (1) Sylvia, (2) Dolores, and (3) Eleanor, and by violating section 2394 of the Business and Professions Code by using drugs and penetrating the tissues of Sylvia. Two hearings were had. No evidence was introduced to support the abortion charges as to Sylvia and Dolores and these charges were dismissed by the board without prejudice. The board found petitioner guilty of unprofessional conduct in that he had procured and performed a criminal abortion on Eleanor and had used drugs and penetrated the tissues of Sylvia. A petition for reconsideration was denied by lapse of time. Petitioner then filed the present mandamus proceeding in the superior court, which heard oral argument and thoroughly read the transcripts of the board hearings. No additional evidence was produced other than petitioner's petition for reconsideration and a letter of the board's attorney. The trial court exercised its independent judgment and made findings of fact and conclusions of law to the effect that (1) petitioner agreed to and did perform and procure a criminal abortion on Eleanor, who was then pregnant, which fact was known *242 to petitioner, and (2) that petitioner used and administered drugs to Sylvia to check an infection, and that none of the services were performed as an emergency treatment; (3) that the board's findings are supported by the weight of the evidence, and (4) that the board was not, as charged, guilty of abuse of its discretion.

1. Evidence.

[1] Our province is to review the evidence in the light most favorable to respondent and to determine whether there is any substantial evidence, contradicted or uncontradicted, which will support the trial court's conclusions. (Moran v. Board of Medical Examiners, 32 Cal.2d 301 [196 P.2d 20].) We will consider the charges separately.

The Abortion Charge.

[2] The testimony of Eleanor alone is sufficient to support the court's conclusion. It is unnecessary to go into great detail on this charge. Eleanor testified that when she thought herself pregnant she did not want to go through with it as she was considering leaving her husband. She took some quinine tablets to abort herself. Then she changed her mind and consulted Dr. Wynekoop on May 7. (Dr. Wynekoop testified that he then found her pregnant "beyond any ordinary doubt." He found no sign of a miscarriage.) Eleanor again changed her mind, and decided not to have the baby. She did nothing herself to abort. In the early part of June she went to petitioner's office. Her cousin had informed her that petitioner had aborted the cousin. Eleanor told petitioner that she was pregnant, and could not afford to remain pregnant because she would have to go to work, and maybe he could help her. He said he would try to cause her to lose her baby on condition that she would not tell. He then directed her to a small room, told her to take off her underclothes and lie on a table. She then described the acts of attempted abortion and her sensations, which were of such a nature as to leave no doubt that an abortion was attempted. Admittedly no drugs or medicinal preparations were used. Eleanor's evidence, however, shows that "something cutting like a knife" was used. Petitioner told her he thought the treatment was successful and if it were not she was to come back. He told her she would have cramps and gave her some pills to take after she had them for a certain length of time. She gave petitioner two checks totalling $22.21 and $15 in cash and promised to pay the balance of the $75 he asked in two weeks. *243 No receipt was asked for or given. He told her that now that he had helped her she was not to tell except that if she knew someone who needed help to send her to him. Eleanor went home and about six hours later started to get "awful cramps." They had continued for about an hour when her husband returned home about 11 p. m. At first she refused to tell him the cause of her distress. He was a policeman and carried a gun. He then forced her at gunpoint to disclose its cause. She then told him and later other officers that petitioner had performed an abortion on her. She was taken, about 2 a. m., to the county hospital. There she was in great pain. Dr, Anton examined her and from the condition of her uterus concluded that she had an induced threatened abortion and perimetritis. He attempted to preserve the pregnancy since he felt that it was only threatened. She remained in the hospital about a week and was then discharged, as Dr. Anton concluded that the threatened abortion had subsided. After returning home she had a severe hemorrhage and returned to the hospital a day and a half later. Dr. Anton then diagnosed her condition as inevitable abortion. She was discharged a day or so later as the doctor concluded that she had completed her abortion. About a week later she started to hemorrhage again. A Dr. Nichols sent her to another hospital where he performed a curettement. Eleanor testified that later petitioner contacted her through her sister. Eleanor saw petitioner about three or four weeks before the hearing of the charges which the board had brought against him. He offered her a vacation if she would not testify. Her husband suggested that they "shake down" petitioner for $2,500. She met petitioner the night before the hearing and he offered her $500, the balance of $2,000 to be paid her after the hearing was over. Petitioner admitted this meeting but contended that Eleanor and her husband were the moving parties and that he was trying to trap them. Petitioner testified that when Eleanor first came to his office a Mrs. Gillian, who was working there to pay off a treatment bill, was there and that he treated Eleanor with Mrs. Gillian present in an adjoining office with the door open between. He claimed that he examined Eleanor to relieve "her low back pain and tenderness"; that he told her she looked as if she might be in the process of aborting; the cervix looked like it had been tampered with; that he refused her request to give her a treatment to cause her to lose her baby and that he did nothing to bring about an abortion. He claimed he charged her only $15, giving *244 her change from the total of the two checks. Mrs. Gillian substantiated petitioner's testimony as to his conversations with Eleanor at his office. Eleanor positively denied that Mrs. Gillian was there at all. Dr. Bashor, a specialist in obstetrics, gynecology and surgery was called by respondent.

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Bluebook (online)
105 Cal. App. 2d 239, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kendall-v-bd-of-osteopathic-examiners-calctapp-1951.