Opinion ID: 2386034
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: The Case of Harry Street

Text: Commission witness Harry Street testified to the following effect. In December, 1972 he was a passenger in an automobile driven by Raymond Murray, Jr., when the Murray car was hit from the rear. He went to Sinai Hospital where he was examined and sent home. The next day Murray and another man whom he did not know picked him up at his house and took him to the law offices of Morris S. Berman. There he met the Respondent who obtained from him the details of his accident. He had suffered no injuries and was not in pain at any time after the accident but cannot specifically recall whether he gave this information to the Respondent. He was directed by the Respondent to go to the office of Dr. Stuart Perkel. He went to Dr. Perkel's office `a couple of times' but each time there were so many patients that he never did wait to see the doctor. At some later date he was contacted by the Respondent who asked if he had seen Dr. Perkel. When he told Respondent that he had not done so, Respondent directed him to another doctor's office. He was unable to name this doctor but described the location as being the office of Dr. Melvin P. Sobkov on Park Heights Avenue. He was examined by Dr. Sobkov on his first visit but never returned for any subsequent treatment. Some time thereafter he received a letter from Respondent stating that his case had been settled, whereupon he went to Berman's office and was given a check for $450.00. The amount of the settlement was to have been $500.00 but Respondent retained $50.00 which previously had been advanced to him by Respondent in cash. In corroboration of Street's testimony Commission submitted Exhibits 5A through 5F taken from Berman's office file concerning the Street case. Exhibit 5D is a Negligence Information form filled out by Repondent at time of initial interview on December 2, 1972. Exhibits 5E and 5F are carbon copies made when form letters were filled in showing only date, addressee, name, address and telephone number of client, date of accident, Berman's office file number and typed name of sender. Berman testified that Commission Exhibit 6B is a sample of the form letter and that Exhibits 5E and 5F were made when form letters such as Exhibit 6B were filled in with reference to Street. Exhibit 5F is a letter dated December 4, 1972, referring Street to Dr. Stuart Perkel for treatment for accident of December 1, 1972, and requesting that the doctor forward medical information upon completion of treatment. The typed name over which signature would appear is that of Respondent. Exhibit 5A is a note, not in Respondent's handwriting, signed `Mary' stating that two letters had been sent to Street instructing him to go to Dr. Perkel but that Dr. Perkel had no record of Street as a patient. Exhibit 5B is a carbon copy of a note in the handwriting of Respondent addressed to Street stating that his case has been settled and requesting Street to be in Respondent's office on July 10, 1973. Exhibit 5E is a carbon copy of portions of a form letter, dated July 12, 1973, referring Street to Dr. Melvin Sobkov, showing the date of the accident to be December 1, 1972, over typed name of Respondent. Exhibit 5C is a report of Dr. Sobkov dated February 28, 1973, addressed to Respondent concerning the treatment of Street showing the date of accident to be December 1, 1972, and the date of examination by Dr. Sobkov to be December 2, 1972. With the report is Dr. Sobkov's bill showing that Street received twenty-one physical therapy treatments in December, 1972, and January and February, 1973, the total charge being $315.00. These Exhibits clearly establish that since Street was referred to Dr. Sobkov for the first time in July, 1973, Dr. Sobkov's report that he had examined Street on December 2, 1972, and treated him until February 27, 1973, was false both as to its date and its contents. Dr. Sobkov's fraudulent report and bill was forwarded by Berman to Allstate Insurance Company as proof of damages in support of Street's claim. Respondent testified that although Exhibits 5E and 5F bore his name as sender, he had no recollection of these papers and that most likely the letters had been sent to Dr. Perkel and Dr. Sobkov by secretaries without his actual signature. He stated that he does not recall seeing the Sobkov report, Exhibit 5C, but that most likely when it came to him, he did not have time to review all of the correspondence in the file but simply compiled what was necessary for settlement discussion and turned the file over to Berman who would deal with the insurer. Respondent concedes that an examination of the file would have revealed that Dr. Sobkov's report was fraudulently back-dated but that he had not knowingly used the false report.