Opinion ID: 785861
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The Rivas Family's Medical Expert

Text: 25 The Rivas family subsequently hired Dr. Michael Baden, a well-known forensic pathologist, to render a second opinion on Mr. Rivas's cause of death. After reviewing all of the relevant materials, Dr. Baden concluded that the Medical Examiner had correctly found that Mr. Rivas had experienced a respiratory arrest resulting in cardiac arrest. Dr. Baden believed, however, that Mr. Rivas's death followed an acute medical episode rather than `an acute psychotic episode' and the etiology was not `undetermined' but due to asphyxia caused by police action that prevented Mr. Rivas from breathing. Dr. Baden therefore concluded that the manner of death should have been listed in the Medical Examiner's report as a homicide.