The Doctor Convicted of Murder

The successful conviction of a physician in a deliberate homicide case for their professional behavior is rare. Most cases of medical malpractice generally entail legal issues like negligence and recklessness resulting in civil claims and damages, nevertheless some cases do grow to the level of criminal accountability.

Dr. Lisa Tseng was recently convicted in California of three counts of second-degree murder for prescribing drugs which caused the overdose deaths of her patients.  Dr. Tseng had been notified by authorities of nine prior patients, primarily males in their 20s and 30s, that had died with drugs prescribed by her in their systems.

The prosecution asserted that Dr. Tseng knew that her patients were junkies and drug-seekers, and that she prescribed them drugs with the knowledge that it would cause their deaths. The defense countered that Tseng was not aware they were addicts and that they lied to her about their drug use. The defense contended that all prescribing was done in good faith.

The jury found Dr. Tseng guilty of overprescribing in 21 counts, and guilty of three counts of second-degree murder. Dr. Tseng will likely spend several years in California state prison.

Prescription drug misuse continues to rise nationwide resulting in the possibility for more doctors to be convicted in criminal cases for their drug prescribing practices.

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