AIG’s “Creepy” and “Seedy” Stalking Attorney Story from Dr. Bicuspid’s Donna Domino

 

New trial ordered for Small Smiles case

 

By Donna Domino, Features Editor

November 19, 2013 -- A New York judge on November 18 ordered a new trial in the Small Smiles case after ruling that a lawyer for the insurance company stalked the jury during the trial. The judge found that the lawyer's misconduct intimidated the jury and probably influenced the verdict in favor of Small Smiles.

In October, the jury found that Small Smiles dentists did not perform unnecessary dental procedures on Jeremy Bohn. Justice Deborah Karalunas found that corporate ownership of the clinics was illegal under state law, but the jury found no liability by the company or the dentists.

But after the jury's verdict, jurors complained about a man who "stalked them throughout the trial," according to the November 18 ruling by Justice Karalunas in the New York Supreme Court.

Jurors complained that Scott Greenspan, an attorney who works for the National Union Fire Insurance Company, was following them and videotaping them. National Union is the insurer for Forba Holdings, the former operator of Small Smiles, and the three dentists named in the lawsuit. The jurors said Greenspan followed them when they went out to lunch, took smoking breaks, and when they were in the elevator.

Read more here

The “Creepy” and “Seedy” Stalking Attorney” story is spreading.

The “Creepy and Seedy” Stalking Attorney” story is spreading.  I think once I used “sleazy”.  That was a mistake, it was “seedy”.  I want to make sure I correct that right away.  LOL

'Stalking' of Jury Leads to Malpractice Retrial

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

By NICK DIVITO 
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CN) - Near "stalking" by the attorney AIG hired to monitor a dental-malpractice trial "violated the sanctity of the jury" and compels a retrial, a judge ruled.
     With the verdict thrown out, Kelly Varano will have another chance to prove that her son, Jeremy Bohn, did not receive proper care from Syracuse dental clinic Small Smiles and its parent company, Forba Holdings.
     It's one of 2,900 such lawsuits filed across the nation against the dental chain, which is insured by AIG.
     After the jury in Varano's case ruled for the defense last month, its members confided in Judge Deborah Karalunas that they felt they were being "stalked" by a spectator from the trial.
     Identifying that man as AIG's Manhattan-based attorney, Scott Greenspan, Karalunas ordered a new trial Monday.
     "Mr. Greespan's conduct violated the sanctity of the jury, raises ground for suspicion that the decision was founded on something other than the evidence, and was prejudicial and likely to influence the verdict," Karalunas wrote.
     One of the attorneys who filed the underlying lawsuit, Jim Moriarty, told Courthouse News that he was "thrilled" with the decision.
     In 40 years practicing law, "I have never seen an attorney go as far out of line as this lawyer did," Moriarty added. "To me it's dumbfounding."

AIG’s stalking attorney, Scott Greenspan is making headlines.

AIG’s stalking attorney, Scott Greenspan is making headlines.  Below is the article from The Post-Standard in Syracuse, NY.  Most interesting are the comments.  I’ve reposted just a few following the article.  There is an article at the New York Law Journal as well – subscription required

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Creepy' jury stalker hired by insurance giant AIG forces retrial in Syracuse dentistry malpractice case

Douglass Dowty | ddowty@syracuse.com By Douglass Dowty  ddowty@syracuse.com

November 19, 2013 at 6:07 AM

Syracuse, NY -- A jury's finding of no wrongdoing against a Syracuse dentistry accused of mistreating poor children will not stand after a "creepy" jury stalker prejudiced the verdict, a judge ruled Monday.

State Supreme Court Justice Deborah Karalunas ordered a new trial in the malpractice case against Small Smiles dental clinic, which operated on South Geddes Street before closing in March 2012.

The parents of Jeremy Bohn were among nearly three dozen to accuse Small Smiles of unneeded and improper treatment involving poor children. Bohn's case was decided by jury in October, which found no wrongdoing by the dental clinic.

But in a weird twist, the jurors complained to the judge after the trial about a stalker. The man was identified as Scott Greenspan, who said he was hired by the dental clinic's insurance company, AIG. Greenspan told the judge he was hired to observe the trial, nothing more.

But here are some descriptions of Greenspan's actions, taken from court transcripts after the trial:

Judge Karalunas:

The first question the jurors asked me was whether they did a good job. The second
question the jurors asked me was who was the individual who was stalking them
throughout this trial. When I inquired of the jurors what did the person look like who was "stalking" them, to use the juror's word, they advised me that it was the individual who I had admonished - I don't know that the jury used that word - during the course of the trial, the individual with the computer.

Judge Orders Retrial for 1st Small Smiles Malpractice Case in New York–“Creepy” AIG Attorney Stalks Jurors

Syracuse, NY -  In October a verdict for the defendants was handed down by the jury in the 1st of 33 malpractice cases against Small Smiles and their dentists slated to be heard in New York courts.

Just after the verdict, the jury informed the judge they were stalked throughout the 15 day trial by a “creep” and “sleazy” guy who turned out to be a New York attorney by the name of Scott Greenspan.  Greenspan was hired by malpractice insurance carrier National Union Fire Insurance Company, a division of AIG .

Now, “upon examination of the facts”, Judge Deborah Karalunas. has ordered a new trial, concluding “…that Mr. Greenspan made improper contact with the jury.”

In her November 18, 2013 decision, Judge Karalunas finds AIG attorney Scott Greenspan’s conduct “violated the sanctity of the jury, raises ground for suspicion that the decision was found on something other than the evidence and was prejudicial and likely to influence the verdict.”

“This is not a matter of an isolated elevator conversation, cake for juror appreciation day or expression of condolence.  This is a case where jurors over a 15-day period believed that they were stalked, videotaped and closely monitored by a person they believed worked for the defendants,” says Judge Karalunas.

“This is a case where jurors performing their civic duty were made to feel bothered and scared.”

Under questioning by Judge Karalunas, one juror said:

“He followed us everywhere. When we would go to lunch, he’d follow us to where we were going.  One day we had an hour and 15 minutes, a little extra time, so we walked down to the Armory Square to Blue Tusk.  And I told the other jurors, this guy is following us everywhere.  So after the third time I saw him, I said look behind you, that’s what I’d say to them, and he would always be there.

“But when we would go on the elevator, he would always be there.  when we got outside, we would go to have a cigarette right out front, he’s always be standing close by.  When we got back on the elevator to come up,he was always there.”

‘…the only times we did not see him out of the whole time was once we went to Ale and Angus and once we went over to The Mission and we didn’t see him there.”

The juror told Judge Karalunas that Mr. Greenspan was in the elevator “at least half the time, if not three quarters of the time.” 

So there ya have it.  A new trial and I would guess that National Union/AIG would need to pick up the tab for this. Now, wouldn’t it have just been easier to write this child a check for all the hell he’s been put though?!  Just saying…

Small Smiles Dental Syracuse Bohn Malpractice New Trial Decision

AIG Operative Stalks Jurors in 1st Small Smiles Dental Center Malpractice Case

Remember when the American taxpayers (you) bailed out American International Group (AIG) to the tune of $185 BILLION dollars in 2008?  Remember the company’s offices were converged upon by angry Americans.  So much so, that in typical bully fashion they actually took the name off headquarters in New York City in order to “hide” their location.  .

The latest victim of AIG’s bullying is an 11 year old boy in Syracuse, New York and the jurors who were to decide how much this child should be compensated for their policy holders misdeeds. 

There were 30 trials on schedule in New York by former patients of Small Smiles Dental Centers.  Many of these patients were 2, 3 and 4 years old when they victims of the clinics formerly located in Syracuse, Albany and Rochester.  There is much information about Small Smiles Dental Centers and their so called “management company” on the web and this blog, so I’m not going to bore anyone with more of that.

The first of the 30 trials finally made it to a jury October 7, 2013.  The complaint was filed in April of 2011 against, Edward DeRose, Michael DeRose, Dan DeRose, William Mueller, Adolph Padula, Michael Roumph, Dr. Naveed Aman, Dr. Koury Bonds, Dr. Yaqoob Khan and more, plus a host of dummy corporations set up to hide the true ownership of the clinics and make it difficult to track the hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained Medicaid money they pocketed.

After trying to bury two judges and the attorneys representing the little boy—now 11 years old—in mountains (and I do mean mountains) of ridiculous pleadings, testimony finally began September 23, 2013 in Syracuse. 

The trial lasted for 2 1/2 weeks.  You can read all the transcripts here. I urge you to take time to read them.  It’s more entertaining than anything on television this fall and better read than any book on The Times Best Seller list since 50 Shades of Grey—however I do think the transcripts and the book could carry the same title.  There was a lot of shadiness happening in that courthouse and the testimony from the accused had more twists of the truth than a pretzel factory and there were so many bodies being thrown under the bus, the courtroom could have doubled for a Greyhound bus station.