Medical Malpractice Complaint
Filed against Dr. Adams June 26, 2007
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In television they call it a "get."
Long-time talk show host, Larry King was actually on vacation with his family, but Dr. Jan Adams, the man who performed plastic surgery on Kanye West's mother, Donda, the day before she died, had agreed to be interviewed for an hour. This exclusive interview would be Dr. Adams' opportunity to answer speculation about what might have gone wrong during the 58-year-old West's surgery, his first extensive on-camera interview since her death November 10th.
So King showed up at CNN's New York studios. He "mic'd" up. It's three minutes until the 9 p.m. live show. Dr. Adams is still not on the set. This is the time to get nervous.
Then King got the word. Dr. Adams had just received a letter from the West family and a fax to the CNN newsroom warning him NOT to appear on the Larry King program.
As King tap danced he explained that Dr. Adams and his lawyer were in the green room trying to decide whether the doctor should appear on air or not. King said the family was threatening they would proceed with the state of California to have Dr. Adams' license revoked if he discussed the case.
The audience and King had to breath a sigh of relief when after eight minutes of "filler" with celebrity journalists brought in to augment the show, Dr. Adams appeared live on the set.
King no doubt would ask questions about not only the surgery but the speculation that has surrounded Adams since West's death.
It has been revealed that the Los Angeles area doctor is not board certified in plastic surgery, has had DUI's and a medical malpractice lawsuit. It is also known that Donda West was having three procedures, a tummy tuck, breast reduction and liposuction, all at the same time, which would have required extensive anesthesia.
And immediately after her death, another board certified plastic surgeon came forward and said West had approached him first about doing the surgery but he asked her to first get medical clearance from her internist because of something that concerned him in her medical history. That doctor never heard from West again.
But King got to ask none of those questions. Instead Dr. Adams said,
"What I really want to say is I want to thank you for this opportunity. Basically I had come here to [address] things in the press that aren’t accurate about me, but I have a tremendous respect for the West family. They don’t want me to go on. I have a side, they have a side and I am going to respect their wishes … I will not be on the show and address any of that. I am going to honor their wishes,” Adams told Larry King.
“Where does this go?” Larry then asked the doctor.
“Well, I will talk with them. When they’re comfortable, then I will be comfortable. If they’re never comfortable, then I will never be comfortable,” he said. “They are what’s important to me, I’ve said that from the start.”
“Don’t you want to speak out?” Larry asked the doctor.
“No I don’t want to,” Adams said as he fumbled with his ear piece, trying to remove it quickly so he could exit the set. The doctor who has done countless television interviews appearing as a celebrity doctor on Oprah, suddenly had nothing to say.
King says in 50 years in broadcasting no one has ever walked off the set during a live interview.
The Los Angeles coroner has ruled preliminarily that West's death was likely due to surgical complications. An autopsy and toxicology report are yet to be completed which might reveal to what extent surgery or pain medication contributed to her death and whether pre-existing conditions should have been more carefully screened.
Dr. Adams on Monday told the Los Angeles Times, West may have died of a heart attack, pulmonary embolism or accidental overdose of the painkiller Vicodin, which he prescribed after the surgery. He later contacted the Times to say he was speaking of a hypothetical patient.
Galina Espinoza of People magazine, a panelist on "Larry King Live," suggested Adams left the show out of respect for the family. "If the family reaches out to you about it you have to listen to that," she said.
Adams' lawyer, Alan Tenenbaum, confirmed the West family had requested Adams not appear on air. He looked uncomfortable and appeared at Dr. Adams urging it was later revealed.
King wondered if the doctor - patient privilege applies after a patient has died, a legal question to which Tenenbaum answered yes. "It's not the doctor's privilege, it's the patient's privilege," he told King adding that the privilege extends to the family. " He doesn't want to create any dispute with the family," Tenenbaum added, and that until he gets clearance from the family, Dr. Adams will continue to keep quiet.
In a medical malpractice lawsuit or criminal gross negligence proceeding, anything you say for the record, particularly in a public forum, could and would be used against you. And there is no doubt that Dr. Adams is surrounded by lawyers these days, a fact confirmed by Tenenbaum.
King made the offer to Dr. Adams that he (King) would return from vacation a second night if the doctor decided to return.
The Dr. Adams walkout occurred on Tuesday night, the same day as Donda West's funeral.