This report says the Executive Director of the Ohio Dental Board “approved” the settlement. What is God’s name did she have to do with anything, other than some responsibility into Marissa’s death in my opinion.
How did such a conversation go anyway? Did she say, “yeah, that’s a fair price”!!!
By Jack Shea Fox 8 News Reporter
6:14 p.m. EDT, October 28, 2011
LORAIN, Ohio—
The family of a Lorain County girl, who died while undergoing oral surgery, has settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the dentist who performed the surgery.
On December 21, 2010, 13-year-old Marissa Kingery, of Elyria, stopped breathing while having teeth removed at the Lorain office of Dr. Henry Mazorow.
An autopsy later concluded that Marissa's death was accidental, the result of complications from anesthesia administered before the surgery.
The lawsuit filed by the girl's family was settled by Dr. Mazorow's insurance company for one million dollars, to be shared by her parents and their civil attorney.
The Ohio State Dental Board helped negotiate the settlement, and then approved it.
Dental Board Executive Director Lili Reitz told Fox 8, "Our job is to ensure that dentists who are not safe, or who pose a threat, either remediate in the areas where they're deficient, or no longer practice."
[It’s a damn shame Ms. Reitz didn’t feel the same when Mazorow killed the other patient in 1997. Sounds real noble Ms. Reitz, but your words are empty!]
On September 1, after consulting with the dental board, Dr. Mazorow agreed to retire at the age of 81.
[It took from December 2010 until September 1, 2011 for Mazorow to be forced into retirement?! Also after 5 years, his record will be wiped clean as Ms. Reitz pointed out earlier this year!]
The case of Marissa Kingery was not the first time Mazorow had been sued for wrongful death. In 1997, 57-year-old Rosemary Johnson died from similar complications while undergoing surgery at the doctor's office. The case was settled out of court for $550,000.
Fox 8 News tried to talk to Dr. Mazorow about what happened to Marissa Kingery and Rosemary Johnson, but were unable to reach him.
Reitz said says the case illustrates the difficulty of regulating dentistry.
"What I have a hard time accepting is our limitations, and our limitations are the license of the individual, and whether or not that person should be, to hold a license, and if so, what needs to be done to ensure that they're safe."
[What’s so damn difficult about it, Ms. Reitz? ]