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And ask me what?
Who put my client in the hospital for life.
I didn't do it, Mister.
Who are you protecting, then?
Who says that I'm protecting anyone?
I do. Who is it? The Doctors. What do you owe them?
I don't owe them a goddamn thing.
Then why don't you testify?
You know, you're pushy, fella...
You think I'm pushy now, wait 'til I get you on the stand...
Well, maybe you better do that, then. You know you guys are all the same. You don't care who gets hurt. You're a bunch of whores. You'd do anything for a dollar. You got no loyalty...no nothing...you're a bunch of whores.
Dr. Gruber ...
Yes? Galvin, right?
I appreciatea man as busy as
That's perfectly all right. I'm kind of rushed. Do you mind if we walk while we talk?
I read the hospital report on your client.
... Deborah Ann Kaye ...
... Deborah Ann Kaye ...
They called, they're going to settle, what I want to do is build up as much ...
Right. Who called?
The Archdiocese called, they want to settle ... her estate ...
... and you're going to do that?
Yes.
You're going to settle out of court?
Yes.
Why?
Uh ... in the, well, in the interests of her family ... you, Dr. Gruber, you know, you can never tell what a jury is going to do. St. Catherine's a very well thought of institution. Her doctors ...
Her doctors killed her.
) I'm sorry ...?
Her doctors murdered her. They gave her the wrong anaesthetic and they put her in the hospital for life. Her doctors murdered her.
Do you know who her doctors were?
I read the file. Yeah. Marx and Towler. I know who they were.
The most respected ...
Whose side are you arguing ...? I thought that you wanted to do something. I don't have any interest in the woman's 'estate' No offense, but we all know where the money's going to ... I have an interest in the Hospital; and I don't want those bozos working in the same shop as me. They gave her the wrong anesthetic. They turned the girl into a vegetable. They killed her and they killed her kid. You caught 'em. Now: how many others did they kill?
The hospital is owned by the Archdioceses of ...
What are they going to do? Not invite me to their Birthday party ...? Look, I gotta go. I have to be in Cambridge ...
Well, well, when can we meet again. I'd like to get a deposition..
Okay. I'll meet you here. Tuesday night ... I gotta go. You going my way?
We have to ... we ... we have to keep you under wraps. Please don't, don't discuss ...
I understand.
... the case with anyone. And I'll meet you Tuesday, and we'll go over your testimony ...
Thank you ...
... that's perfectly all right.
Uh, why, why are you doing this?
To do right. Isn't that why you're doing it?
Dr. Towler; page 406, 'Contraindications to general anaesthetic. Ideally a patient should refrain from taking nourishment up to nine hours prior to induction of general anaesthetic.' Does that sound familiar?
Yes. I wrote it.
'Practice and Methodology in Anaesthesia.' General textbook on the subject. Is that correct?
I. Yes. It is.
And you wrote that...
Yes.
...Page 414, 'If a patient has taken nourishment within one hour prior to inducement, general anaesthetic should be avoided at all costs because of the grave risk the patient will aspirate food particles into his mask.' Is that what happened to Deborah Ann Kaye? She aspirated into her mask?
She threw up in her mask, yes. But she hadn't eaten one hour prior to admission.
If she had eaten, say one hour prior to admission, the inducement of a general anaesthetic...the type you gave her... would have been negligent...?
Negligent. Yes...it would have been criminal. But that was not the case.
Thank you.
Dr. Thompson...?
It was good of you to meet...
I have some errands to run, and then I thought we'd spend the evening...
That's what I'd planned to...
I'm going to take you to the home to see the girl...
From what I've seen, Mr. Galvin, you have a very good case...
Yes. Yes. I think so. I hope you'll be comfortable. I'm putting you up at my...
...I made a reservation at...
...apartment. No, no. Please. You don't know who we're dealing with, I, please believe me, they...
...What difference would...
These people play very rough. They don't want to lose this case. There's a lot of pressure they can bring to bear, I...
There's nothing they can do to me.
Dr. Thompson. From your review of the hospital records of May twelfth nineteen seventysix. In your opinion, what happened to Deborah Ann Kaye?
Cardiac arrest. During delivery her heart stopped. When the heart stops the brain's deprived of oxygen. You get brain damage. That is why she's in the state she's in today.
Now, Dr. Towler's testified that they restored the heartbeat within three or four minutes. In your opinion is his estimate correct?
It's my opinion it took him much longer. Nine...ten minutes. There's too much brain damage.
I didn't do too well for you.
No, you did fine.
I'm afraid that's not true. Will you want me to stay on till Monday?
No. No thank you, Doctor. You go home.
You know...sometimes people can surprise you. Sometimes they have a great capacity to hear the truth.
Yes...I...yes.
You sure you don't want me to stay on.
No. No. Thank you. You go home.
Are you saying that a failure to restore the heartbeat within nine minutes in itself constitutes bad medical practice?
Well...
I...in that small context I would have...I would have to say 'no.'
Then you're saying there's no negligence, based on my question?
I...given the limits of your question, that's correct.
The Doctors were not negligent.
I...um...
They gave her the wrong anesthetic.
Why is that?
Her sister said she ate one hour prior to admittance...she...
...that's what the sister said. The chart said she ate nine hours prior to...
...she went in complaining of stomach cramps. Good doctor would have doubted the information on the chart.
Is that what a good doctor would do? How old are you, please?
I am seventyfour years old.
What qualifies you as an expert in anesthetics?
I am on the staff of...
Easthampton Hospital for Women. Excuse me, what is that, a joke? Let me tell you something, Doctor, those men at Catherine Laboure. Men who are known not only in this city, but the world, were trying to save a woman's life. They were there, and here you are, four years later, read some hospital report, and say...
...I made a detailed physical examination of the patient, Sir, yesterday evening, I...
She getting good care over there?
Actually, yes. It's by no means bad, I...