Padilla v. Minnesota State Board of Medical Examiners

382 N.W.2d 876, 1986 Minn. App. LEXIS 4069
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedMarch 4, 1986
DocketC8-85-1738
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 382 N.W.2d 876 (Padilla v. Minnesota State Board of Medical Examiners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Padilla v. Minnesota State Board of Medical Examiners, 382 N.W.2d 876, 1986 Minn. App. LEXIS 4069 (Mich. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinions

OPINION

WOZNIAK, Judge.

Ceferino-Basilio Selga Padilla, Jr. appeals from an order of the Minnesota State Board of Medical Examiners revoking his license to practice medicine. He contends (1) his due process rights were violated because the Board applied the evidentiary rules for use in contested cases, Minn.Stat. § 14.60, subd. 1, rather than the Rules of Evidence; (2) the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act precludes the admission of evidence seized by the Medicaid Fraud Unit of the Attorney General’s office; (3) his right to cross-examine witnesses was violated; (4) the administrative law judge erred by refusing him access to certain records; and (5) the Board’s conclusions were not supported by substantial evidence. We affirm.

FACTS

Padilla is licensed to practice medicine in Minnesota. He treats from five to twenty percent of his patients for obesity.

Padilla considers any person weighing ten pounds over his or her ideal body weight to be obese. He follows a “set point theory” of obesity which requires the indefinite use of anorexigenic drugs if the patient is obese under his standard. He believes that anorexigenics can be used on a continuing basis without the development of a tolerance, and that lifelong use is required because a weight rebound will occur if the patient stops taking them.

Beginning in February 1981, Padilla treated M.C. for obesity with anorexigen-ics. M.C. was not weighed or measured at his first visit. No history was taken and no examination was made until December 1981. Padilla continued to prescribe ano-rexigenics even though he was concerned that M.C. was addicted. Over the course of the treatment, M.C. gained 17 pounds.

Padilla treated L.H. with Preludin, an anorexigenic. She was not ten pounds over her ideal body weight. His treatment continued from December 1975 through a portion of 1983. He never took a history or did a physical examination.

Padilla treated D.C. for obesity with ano-rexigenics from March 1981 to October 1981 without taking a history or giving a physical examination.

Padilla began treating B.F. for obesity with an anorexigenic without taking a medical history or performing a physical examination. At the time, B.F. was 13½ pounds over her ideal body weight. After treatment began, a police officer told Padilla that B.F. was a known drug user and prescription forger. Padilla continued to prescribe anorexigenics.

After a fall, M.R. went to Padilla complaining of back and neck pain. She saw him nine times between January 16 and March 12, 1984. On most visits, Padilla gave M.R. a pelvic examination. Each examination was longer than the preceding [879]*879one. During the course of the March 12 examination, Padilla began having intercourse with M.R. M.R. was in shock when she realized what was happening. She immediately got off the examination table. Padilla said he could not be her doctor anymore. He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. When she pushed him away, Padilla said he had feelings for her. M.R. said he could not do things like that and told him to leave.

On November 3, 1975, Padilla began treating A.V. for stress. She was 19 years old at the time. Even though A.V. did not have time for a history and physical examination, Padilla prescribed Placidyl to help her sleep and regularly refilled the prescription. Placidyl is a hypnotic drug generally used in a hospital setting for a limited duration of approximately one week. A history was taken and a physical examination was performed on October 20, 1976. By early 1977, Padilla knew A.V. was addicted to barbiturates and sleeping medications. He continued to regularly prescribe Placidyl through August 4, 1978. On August 4, 1978, Padilla began prescribing Librium and Valium. From April 27, 1979 to November 23,1984, Padilla regularly prescribed Esgic or Fiornal. He admits that his prescriptions for some months were excessive.

Beginning in the fall of 1979, Padilla periodically had sexual intercourse with A.V. After intercourse, Padilla would give A.V. prescriptions for Esgic and Fiornal. A.V. believed that having sex with Padilla was a way of insuring that he would continue to write the prescriptions she wanted. At Padilla’s request, A.V., who was receiving medical assistance, frequently paid for her prescriptions with cash.

In 1978 Padilla hospitalized D.O. for neck and back pain. When she was hospitalized, D.O. told Padilla that she had been a prostitute when she was younger and that she had abused drugs. The day after that conversation, Padilla told D.O. that if she was not married, he would like to have an affair with her. D.O. thought he was joking. A few days after her discharge, Padilla called D.O. at home and asked her when she would be coming in for her pelvic examination and mentioned his earlier reference to an affair. The reference made D.O. uncomfortable, and she did not schedule a pelvic examination. Thereafter she usually saw other doctors in Padilla’s group.

Between 1978 and 1982, D.O. was treated for a variety of medical problems. There are frequent references in her medical history to depression and family problems. She resumed her abuse of drugs.

In March 1982, D.O. made an appointment with Padilla to obtain a prescription for Preludin, which she hoped to sell in order to purchase other drugs. Padilla gave her the prescription and thereafter frequently prescribed anorexiants. During office visits in late 1982, Padilla made sexual overtures to D.O. She consented to a pelvic examination. From then on, they had sexual intercourse on most of her visits to his office. In February 1983, Padilla noted in his records that D.O. might be dependent on Demerol. On several subsequent occasions, he gave her a placebo, but continued to prescribe anorexiants. In October, D.O. told Padilla that she was addicted to heroin. Padilla prescribed Preludin on her next visit, October 27.

L.W. accompanied D.O. to Padilla’s office on October 27 to obtain Preludin. L.W. understood from D.O. that Padilla would prescribe Preludin if she granted sexual favors. Padilla examined L.W.’s lungs, heart and abdomen, as well as giving her a pelvic examination. They arranged for L.W. to call Padilla the next Saturday so they could have sex. Padilla did not weigh her, but did give her the prescription. L.W. is 5'1" and did not weigh over 110 pounds at the time.

Two days later, D.O. and L.W. had an argument over money. D.O. and her friends intended to collect the money forcibly by having L.W. engage in sex for money. L.W. reported the matter to the police. D.O. was subsequently charged on several criminal counts and on her release from jail called Padilla and told him that L.W. had [880]*880told the police that she had obtained drugs from him.

D.S., who was clearly obese, was treated by a colleague of Padilla’s before he began treating her in 1978. During the period of treatment, a pharmacy advised Padilla that D.S.’s prescription for Preludin had been altered from 21 to 51 tablets. After D.S. was hospitalized for an overdose of over-the-counter diet pills, there was a break in her treatment for obesity. Treatment resumed in 1982. In June 1983 D.S. weighed 270 pounds. Padilla refused to refill her prescription because of high blood pressure.

In March 1984, during the course of her physical, Padilla told D.S. that she had very nice breasts.

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Padilla v. Minnesota State Board of Medical Examiners
382 N.W.2d 876 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
382 N.W.2d 876, 1986 Minn. App. LEXIS 4069, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/padilla-v-minnesota-state-board-of-medical-examiners-minnctapp-1986.