Module 1: Criminal Law/Civil Law (CASE) Module 1 - Essay Example

Module Criminal Law/Civil Law Affiliation: Doctor Robert Stokes was convicted in federal court for performing unnecessaryprocedures to procure payments from his patients and insurers that he used to fund his lavish lifestyle. Doctor Stokes was sentenced to imprisonment for insurance fraud which was in breach of trust with the clients he administered treatment to. However, while he was expected to fully take responsibility of his actions that involved the use of unsterilized needles with his clients.

2Doctor Stokes was sentenced to 101/2 years in jail for insurance fraud as well as three extra years of supervised release from healthcare following fraud. U.S District Judge Gordon Quist ordered Dr. Stokes to recompense a $175000 fine on East Grand Rapids dermatologists. However, Quist suspended this decision on restitution, which was a chief point of disagreement between the state administration and Stoke’s attorney (Clevette, Erbin-Roesemann, and Kelly, (2007).With reference to the actions that Dr.

Stokes was involved in, it is obvious that his actions were unacceptable in accordance to the ethics of the profession and the professional expectations. The clients with whom the doctor was entrusted with expected the professional to act in accordance to the trust they had in him as a professional. This is because some of Doctor Stoke’s patients were affected in different ways such as suspected HIV and hepatitis. One of his patients Mr. Bob May was affected by surgeries performed by the doctor.

He quit seeing the doctor in 2003 after suspecting that the doctor was reusing hypodermic syringes, Mr. Bob is now fighting skin cancer and kidney cancer which spread to his chest (Thoms, 2014). In 1996, a patient named Ms. Catherine Kooyers was taken in by Doctor Stokes for the removal of a mole from her right shoulder. When asked about the issues that were involved, she recalls that the doctor pulled a syringe from his pocket alleging that it was sterilized in an autoclave. However, a former employee pointed out that the doctor had not used an autoclave to sterilize syringes since 1994 (Thoms, 2014).Mr. Stokes needed money to maintain his lavish lifestyle by putting money over his patients’ healthcare.

He did not have to do it on the backs of his patient and with the evidence from some of his employees, it clearly suggests that he is guilty and deserved that given a chance, a better or harsh conviction would have served the professional misconduct he was so involved in. 3In 2007, Doctor Stokes tried to repeal the ruling of the district court’s ruling to the presiding Judge Quist citing his infection with cancer. However, following this request to consider his plea for a reduce sentencing, Quist pointed that the earlier convictions were justified as the damage caused to the victims was fair following the fact that there weren’t any criminal charges filed against the Dr.

While he was also in dispute with the fact that having being diagnosed with cancer had detrimental effects in dealing with the conviction and the condition, Quist pointed that the doctor had to serve the full time or time near the maximum sentence that was served to him. The initial ruling of 97 to 121 months that was considered in the first conviction was reinstated regardless of the “vulnerable victim" issue (Tunison, 2010).ReferencesClevette, A., Erbin-Roesemann, M. and Kelly, C. (2007).

Nursing licensure: An examination of the relationship between criminal convictions and disciplinary actions. Journal of Nursing Law, 11(1), 5-11. Thoms, S. (2014). Patient of convicted doctor Robert Stokes cheers progress in campaign against syringe reuse. Retrieved May 19, 2014 from http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/03/patient_of_convicted_dermatolo.html Tunison, J. (2010). Disgraced East Grand Rapids doctor Robert Stokes gets 6 months shaved off decade-long sentence. Retrieved May 19, 2014 from http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.

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