AboutPaul D. Friedman, M.A., Ph.D., J.D. Expertise I have been a practicing civil trial attorney since 1989 dealing primarily with malpractice issues. I litigate very select medical malpractice cases on behalf of patients or their families. I am a Certified Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. I am also Certified in Injury and Wrongful Death by the Arizona State Bar Board of Legal Specialization.
In addition to my law degree, I received a Master of Arts in Bioethics and a Doctorate of Philosophy involving Medical Ethics. Because I am also an Adjunct Professor in Research and Medical Ethics at a medical school, I routinely consult with physicians and hospitals regarding medical ethics issues in an effort to improve patient care.
I can answer questions dealing with medical ethics principles. I can also respond to questions regarding potential malpractice issues.
Experience Experience in the area I have been a practicing trial attorney since 1989 and I have a masters degree in bioethics and a doctorate of philosophy regarding comparative ethics.
Organizations State Bar of Arizona
State Bar of Colorado (inactive)
District of Columbia Bar (inactive)
Federal Bar
Licensed in Arizona District Court
Licensed in Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
licensed in the United States Supreme Court American Bar Association National Board of Trial Advocacy American Association for Justice Arizona Trial Lawyers Association American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Kennedy Institute of Ethics National Association of Realtors
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Arts 1985
Juris Doctorate 1989
Master of Arts in Bioethics 2004 Doctorate of Philosophy 2006
Awards and Honors Phi Beta Kappa
Multiple Who's Who
Publications A list of my copyrighted publications and presentations is contained at WWW.EXPERTETHICS.COM
Question I currently live in Illinois. I had laproscopic surgery performed in Feb. 2006 in Denver, CO. to repair my acid reflux disease and a hiatal hernia. This past week, I was hospitalized, and during my time in the hospital, the doctor there said that I had a hiatal hernia, and I was going to need surgery to repair it. When I told him that I already had the surgery, he advised me that no surgery was done to repair the hiatal hernia. My question is what do I do? I have all of the paperwork from the surgery stating that they repaired the hiatal hernia. Do I contact the doctor's office? Do I contact an attorney? In which state do I need to contact the attorney?
Answer Craig,
I suggest you show the current surgeon the operating report from the prior surgery to determine if is the same hernia or a new one. If it is the same, I would get a written opinion from the new surgeon that the prior surgery did not repair the hernia.
I also suggest you speak with a malpractice attorney. It sounds as if there may be malpractice in addition to a potential medical fraud.
