BACKGROUND: (Doctors John Cox and Sadie Dobrozsi): Milwaukee: “Dr. John Cox knew as soon as he heard the baby’s cry that he had hurt his 1-month-old adopted daughter. He’d accidentally fallen asleep while cuddling the girl in bed early one morning last May, he said, and must have turned on top of her. Cox, 39, a pediatric emergency room doctor at Children’s Wisconsin hospital, sat up, panicked. His hands shook as he assessed the baby, he said, fearing that he’d smothered her. She wasn’t in distress, but he said he could tell from the way she was moving her left arm that he might have broken her collarbone, a common injury in infants that typically heals on its own without medical treatment. Cox called his wife, Dr. Sadie Dobrozsi, who was out of town with their two older children, and cried as he explained what had happened. Dobrozsi, a pediatric oncologist at the same hospital, said she told him to calm down and asked to video chat. The baby appeared fine to her, but to be safe, Dobrozsi suggested that Cox take her to see her pediatrician. “That’s what normal parents who aren’t doctors would do,” she told him. What followed, according to more than 15 medical experts who later reviewed Cox’s case, was a series of medical mistakes and misstatements by hospital staff members that has devastated Cox’s family and derailed his career. A nurse practitioner on the hospital’s child abuse team confused the baby’s birthmarks for bruises, according to seven dermatologists who have reviewed the case. A child abuse pediatrician misinterpreted a crucial blood test, four hematologists later said. Then, two weeks after the incident, armed with those disputed medical reports, Child Protective Services took the child. “In hindsight,” Cox said in a recent interview, “taking her to our own hospital was the single most harmful decision that we made for our baby.”
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STORY: "Judge denies motion to dismiss charge against former Children's Wisconsin doctor," published by WDJT on February 12, 2020.
GIST: "He's charged with child abuse -- intentionally causing harm to a child. He brought his adopted baby daughter to the hospital last May, saying he fell asleep while holding her and rolled on top of her. Hospital staff determined that the baby was abused. In court Wednesday, Cox's attorney argued that the charge should be dismissed. "There
is not a single complaint, or a single fact in this complaint that
alleges Dr. Cox intentionally caused bodily harm to a child," said
defense attorney Michael Levine. "This particular case involves an
infant who can't come into this courtroom, can't speak for herself,
can't say how these injuries were inflicted," state attorney Matthew
James Torbenson said. "So we have to rely on this defendant's word on
what he says happened." The motion to dismiss was denied.Dr. Cox is due for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 18."
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.cbs58.com/news/former-childrens-wisconsin-doctor-appears-in-court
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.cbs58.com/news/former-childrens-wisconsin-doctor-appears-in-court
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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