Marcus A. Green v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 27, 2004
Docket03-02-00727-CR
StatusPublished

This text of Marcus A. Green v. State (Marcus A. Green v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Marcus A. Green v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

TEXAS COURT OF APPEALS, THIRD DISTRICT, AT AUSTIN



NO. 03-02-00727-CR

Marcus A. Green, Appellant (1)



v.



The State of Texas, Appellee



FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF TRAVIS COUNTY, 167TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT

NO. 9-01-4200, HONORABLE FRED MOORE, JUDGE PRESIDING

O P I N I O N


Appellant Markus A. Green appeals his conviction of practicing medicine without a license. (2) Through counsel, he brings five issues on appeal, challenging the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence and one issue concerning closing argument. He also filed a pro se brief, in which he presents an additional legal sufficiency challenge. For the reasons stated below, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.



BACKGROUND

The complaining witness in this case is A.W., a nineteen-year-old woman. A.W. testified that on July 9, 2001, a man named "Darrell" called her and told her that she had a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and that she needed to come to a health clinic to be tested. (3) She was told by the person on the phone that she could die from an STD if she were not immediately treated. A.W. made an appointment with "Darrell," and she and her then-boyfriend, W.G., went to the "Austin Complement Health Clinic" (the "clinic") (4) in the Shoal Creek Medical Building, a professional medical office building. The clinic contained a waiting room with a table and magazines, chairs upholstered in what appeared to be black leather, end tables, lamps, and a flowering plant. A framed, poster-sized, dental-health advisory advertisement hung on one of the walls, and the floor was carpeted in a plain gray color.

After A.W. and W.G.'s arrival, appellant appeared wearing a white lab coat and introduced himself to both A.W. and W.G. as "Dr. Markus Green." (5) A. W. had never seen appellant before and had no idea how he obtained her contact information.

Appellant assisted A.W. to complete a standard medical-history form and informed her that she had syphilis. He did not discuss with her how she had contracted the disease or on what basis he formed his conclusion. He then led A.W. to an examination room, (6) which contained tall white cabinets, a small sink and counter with several different types of surgical supplies on top of the counter, several curtained areas, a rolling doctor's stool, a tall lamp, and an examination table. The table was equipped with stirrups, medical wax paper, and utility drawers. On the wall, a sign identified appellant as "Doctor Markus Green." Appellant asked A.W. to disrobe and provided her with a cotton robe. Because she had never been given a full gynecological examination, A.W. did not know what to expect.

Appellant then measured A.W.'s blood pressure. Once A.W. was on the table, appellant pulled open her robe. He used the wooden end of a cotton swab to poke at A.W.'s nipples, examining them for "excess discharge." He did not check her breasts for lumps. Next, he inserted a plastic speculum into her vagina and widened it, to the point of causing her pain. Appellant told A.W. that she had a mild yeast infection that needed to be broken up. He inserted a vibrator into her vagina and operated it for about three minutes. He then told her that everything else was okay. He did not conduct any tests on A.W., nor did he prepare vaginal slides or ask for a urine sample. He gave her Monistat 7 to treat her "infection." After the examination, A.W. felt awkward and vomited in the bathroom.

After her visit to appellant's clinic, A.W. contacted the Austin Police Department, where she received counseling from a crime victim's counselor. As a result of her encounter with appellant, she said she regularly experienced periods of shortness of breath, headaches, and tingling and numbness in her fingers and body. She also testified that after her experience, she has felt less trusting of people and has had trouble communicating her feelings to others.

W.G. also testified. (7) He repeated the details of the circumstances that led up to A.W.'s appointment with appellant. Appellant would not allow him in the examination room with A.W. From the waiting room, he heard a humming noise, and a few minutes later he heard A. W. vomit. He then went to the examination room and found her "balled up" on the floor and crying. Appellant then spoke with W.G. about STDs and asked him for a urine sample. Appellant tested W.G.'s urine with a test strip and told him that he tested negative for any kind of STD. He then gave W.G. vitamin B6 and other "antibacterial pills." (8) W.G. then went into the bathroom, where A.W. was again vomiting. Appellant also entered the bathroom, and in order to reassure A.W. and W.G. that the clinic was really a doctor's office he illuminated the room with a blacklight to demonstrate that there was bacteria and blood on the walls.

Before A.W. and W.G. left the clinic, appellant told them a cost for the office visit and exam and quoted an additional $45 for the Monistat 7. Because they did not have money with them, appellant said he would mail them a bill. Finally, W.G. testified that following these events A.W. has had emotional problems: "She would start hyperventilating and crying real bad and she'd turn a bright, bright red, and she would just cry for [a] half hour to an hour at a time. Just hyperventilating and crying."

The jury also heard the testimony of A.W's mother, R.W. After the incident, A.W. described her experience to her mother. R.W. attempted on her own to determine whether appellant was a licensed physician. She called appellant's office to request an appointment for an STD exam. Later that evening, she received a phone call from appellant, who identified himself as "Dr. Markus Green." A. W.'s mother asked appellant about his qualifications, and appellant confirmed he was a doctor. He also told her that there were other doctors at the clinic.

Van Nguyen, who worked as an office temporary in the clinic, testified in court. She was placed by her agency at the clinic and worked for appellant for three days in July 2001. When he contacted her for employment, he identified himself as "Dr. Green." He wore a white lab coat and described himself as a "general doctor" who did massages and treated patients with STDs.

An officer from the Texas Board of Medical Examiners testified that appellant was not licensed to practice medicine in this state. A medical-supply store clerk testified that appellant, who identified himself as a doctor and dressed in a lab coat and stethoscope, attempted to purchase medical supplies from the store. A team of officers from the Austin Police Department investigated this case. They found medical supplies, including a hand-held blacklight, a bag of disposable plastic speculums, cotton-tip applicators, urinalysis strips, books on infectious diseases and gynecology, a receipt book, checks in the name of "Dr. Markus Green,"and a box for a "Flex-a-Pleasure" vibrator.

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