Bill Would Let Chiropractors Work on Animals

NEBRASKA: Fido could get chiropractic treatment under a bill advanced by state lawmakers.

The bill (LB463) from Sen. Cap Dierks of Ewing would let a chiropractor or other therapist treat an animal. Lawmakers say the bill came about after several chiropractors got cease-and-desist orders, telling them not to practice on animals.

Dierks says he’s seen chiropractic work on dogs with disk problems and nervous horses that are in pain.

The bill won first-round approval in early April. It also permits civil penalties against those who engage in unauthorized veterinary practice.

CALIFORNIA: The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (www.yes2chiropractic.org), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing public awareness of chiropractic, announced that Retired U.S. Army General Officer (G.O.) Becky Halstead has agreed to serve as its spokesperson and share with the public her positive experiences with chiropractic care. Halstead served 27 years with the United States Army, is the first female in U.S. history to command in combat at the strategic level by commanding the highest level organization for logistics (3rd Corps Support Command) in the Combat Theater of Iraq, and is a recipient of the 2007 national Women’s History Project Generations of Women Moving History Forward.

Halstead says that the hands-on, active care of doctors of chiropractic and their advice on a healthy lifestyle are essential to our military men and women.

Halstead explains that a chiropractor "… allows me to be part of the solution and encourages me to be part of my own wellness plan. One of the greatest emotions in the world is relief, and that is exactly what my chiropractor provides me—a tremendous amount of relief from my pain."

"It is both an honor and pleasure to welcome General Halstead as a supporter," says Kent S. Greenawalt, president of the Foundation. "Halstead exemplifies extraordinary service to this nation, and her participation as a spokesperson is a compelling message to professionals and patients, alike."

TEXAS: A woman who sought a neck adjustment then turned and sued the chiropractor for "unwanted, intrusive contact," left the Jefferson County courthouse empty handed Wednesday, April 15, as a jury found no negligence on the chiropractor’s part.

As the Record has reported, LaDonna Burge—who claimed she had an adjustment done "against her will"—filed suit in June 2007 against Dr. Scott Kerr, owner of the Community Chiropractic Center, and his colleague Dr. Ken Arola.

Before performing an adjustment, Drs. Kerr and Arola requested that Burge obtain permission from her surgeon. When the surgeon gave her the green light, Kerr and Arola consented to the adjustment and Burge submitted to two sessions in early December 2006.

A few months later, Burge, the receptionist for Community Chiropractic, filed a lawsuit against the chiropractic center, Kerr and Arola in Jefferson County, claiming the adjustments were performed "against her will" and had worsened her already traumatized neck.

During opening statements, plaintiff’s attorney Mike Pierce said Arola failed to exercise good judgment by consenting to Burge’s requested adjustment and is, therefore, negligent.

The plaintiff argued that a prudent chiropractor would know that an adjustment on someone who had recently undergone spinal surgery should not be done until the fused vertebrae were solid—which can take up to one year. However, court documents show Community Chiropractic Center professionals did X-ray Burge and determined that the fused vertebrae were solid before performing the adjustment.

But jurors found no evidence that Dr. Arola was negligent, and awarded Burge nothing.

CONNECTICUT: Eugene Bolognese, a Simsbury chiropractor, pleaded guilty Jan. 22 to a single count of health care fraud, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

From August 2005 to December 2007, Bolognese employed two physicians in his practice and used their provider numbers to file claims for services on days they did not work. The fraudulent claims, Bolognese admitted, amounted to $573,036.

The government asked for a prison sentence of 30 to 37 months to penalize Bolognese for his conduct and to set an example. Bolognese’s attorneys argued for no prison. They said his conduct was a result of his poor business management skills and his reliance on someone else to do his billing. They also claimed a prison sentence would harm his young children and his patients, and diminish his ability to make restitution.

Prosecutors objected to U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton’s sentence of six weeks. Bolognese will also be on probation for three years after his release.

Bolognese, in addition to agreeing to make restitution to Blue Cross and Blue Shield, has agreed to sell the building that housed another of his businesses and to turn that money over to the government go toward restitution.

Bolognese, 37, has also placed his home on the market to cover the restitution. He’s asking $1.049 million.

Indio Chiropractor Accused of Sexually Assaulting Patients

CALIFORNIA: A chiropractor who practices in Indio was arrested in mid February on suspicion of sexually assaulting patients while performing medical examinations. Stuart Greenwood, 58, of Apple Valley, was arrested without incident at his office, said Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron. His arrest followed an investigation by Indio police and the California State Board of Chiropractic Examiners into four reports of sexual assaults allegedly committed by Greenwood, Guitron said. Indio police Detective Eric Longoria, who prepared the declaration, said the first alleged victim reported she saw Greenwood on June 7, 2006 at his Indio office for a neck injury. Greenwood allegedly told the woman she may “have another problem aside from the neck injury, and walked outside of the room, as if seeing if anybody was watching.” He then allegedly touched her inappropriately, but she stopped him and asked what he was doing, Longoria wrote. The second report involved a June 27, 2006, incident involving an employee who worked at Greenwood’s office, according to the detective. The employee said she was feeling pain in her back and asked the chiropractor to examine her, Longoria said. The woman told the detective that Greenwood asked her to take off her clothes and put on a robe. During the examination, Greenwood allegedly told the woman he was going to check her for a yeast infection and then touched her inappropriately. The woman said that when she asked him to stop Greenwood allegedly told her it was part of the examination. He again touched her inappropriately, officials said, adding that he claimed the touching would “make your back problems go away.” Greenwood also asked the employee out on a date and made numerous comments about her having sex with him, which she declined, according to Longoria. my desert.com

Chiropractor Pleads Not Guilty in Killing of 79-year-old Stamford Man

CONNECTICUT: Florida chiropractor William Lindemann was arrested and charged with the beating death of an elderly Connecticut man on January 27, 2009. The 47-year-old Lindemann was taken into custody by police in Naples, Florida, on February 20, 2009. Authorities say Lindemann attacked 79-year-old Herbert Davidson in a Stamford, Connecticut, parking garage. Lindemann was initially charged with first-degree assault. The charge was upgraded following the death of Herbert Davidson. Lindemann pleaded not guilty to both charges in state Superior Court in Stamford. He was released on $1 million bail and was forced to surrender his passport. Police believe Lindemann killed Davidson with one punch, knocking him to the ground and causing severe brain injuires. Davidson spent more than three weeks in a coma before succumbing to his injuries on Sunday, February 22. In 1997, Lindemann was indicted on fraud charges after a federal investigation in Brooklyn, N.Y., linked him to insurance schemes involving organized crime figures, according to published reports. In the schemes, insurance was collected for patient visits that never took place or for treatments never given, and medical information was provided for false claims in lawsuits. According to information on the Web site of the New York state Office of the Professions, Lindemann’s license was suspended in 2001 for 24 months, and he was placed on probation for three years. Lindemann admitted to having been convicted of seven counts of felony mail fraud, according to the Web site. Davidson raised five children in Stamford and had seven grandchildren, his son said. He lived in Stamford for nearly 40 years and spent his career as an engineer in the defense industry. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_11792190

Chiropractor and Patient Settle Lawsuit over Stroke

CANADA: More than seven years after Les Limage was paralyzed by a stroke, a lawsuit against a chiropractor who adjusted his neck has quietly been settled. “It’s finally over for them. They can rest now,’’ Limage’s lawyer, Amani Oakley, said of Limage and his wife. A gag order imposed as part of the settlement means she can’t reveal any details. Limage and his wife, Florence, who now live in Cambridge, were suing Waterloo chiropractor George Hickson for over $5 million. The trial was to start in late March in Superior Court in Kitchener. But a meeting between the parties resulted in the settlement just prior. In his statement of claim, Limage alleged the stroke he suffered on Dec. 5, 2001, was caused by a neck adjustment Hickson had performed several days earlier. Limage, then 66, first visited Hickson in late November, complaining of hip pain. It was during his third visit that Hickson manipulated Limage’s neck. Both the statement of claim and the statement of defense contain allegations that have not been proven in court. Because the case never got to trial, the allegations will remain just that. It’s almost certain a trial would have put the controversy over the safety of chiropractic treatment in the spotlight again. Critics say that, although rare, neck adjustments are risky and can result in strokes. Chiropractors maintain they are safe. “This was an extremely stressful period of their lives,’’ Oakley said. “Les, in particular, this was very hard on him.’’ TheRecord.com