HuskersNow Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/07/27/jokes...t.ap/index.html OLYMPIA, Washington (AP) -- An oral surgeon who temporarily implanted fake boar tusks in his assistant's mouth as a practical joke and got sued for it has gotten the state's high court to back up his gag. A Washington court ruled a dentist's malpractice insurance covers practical jokes. Dr. Robert Woo of Auburn had put in the phony tusks while the woman was under anesthesia for a different procedure. He took them out before she awoke, but he first shot photos that eventually made it around the office. The employee, Tina Alberts, felt so humiliated when she saw the pictures that she quit and sued her boss. Woo's insurance company, Fireman's Fund, refused to cover the claim, saying the practical joke was intentional and not a normal business activity his insurance policy covered, so Woo settled out of court. He agreed to pay Alberts $250,000, then he sued his insurers. A King County Superior Court jury sided with Woo, ordering Fireman's Fund to pay him $750,000, plus the out-of-court settlement. The insurance company won the next round, with the state Court of Appeals saying the prank had nothing to do with Woo's practice of dentistry. On Thursday, the state Supreme Court restored Woo's award. In a sprightly 5-4 decision, Supreme Court Justice Mary Fairhurst wrote that Woo's practical joke was an integral, if odd, part of the assistant's dental surgery and "conceivably" should trigger the professional liability coverage of his policy. Dissenting Justice James Johnson said the prank wasn't a dental procedure at all and only "rewards Dr. Woo's obnoxious behavior and allows him to profit handsomely." The back story, the court wrote, is that Alberts' family raises potbellied pigs and that she frequently talked about them at the office where she worked for five years. Woo said his jests about the pigs were part of "a friendly working environment" that he tried to foster. The oral surgery on Alberts was intended to replace two of her teeth with implants, which Woo did. First, though, he installed temporary bridges that he had shaped to look like boar tusks, and while Alberts was still under anesthesia, he took photos, some with her eyes propped open. Before she woke up, he removed the "tusks" and put in the proper replacement teeth. Woo says he didn't personally show her the pictures but staffers gave her copies at a birthday party. Woo's lawyer, Richard Kilpatrick, described the surgeon as a kindhearted, fun-loving man who was chagrined that an office prank turned out so badly. He was delighted with the high court's decision, Kilpatrick said. Attorneys for the insurance company did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Next time i'm at the dentist, i'm going to specifically ask that they not put in boar tusks. Quote Link to comment
Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 I'm sure that's not all he put in her mouth... sick bastage. Quote Link to comment
husker rob Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 they were probably your teeth that he put in first Quote Link to comment
huskernumerouno Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 I need him as an investment advisor. He turned 250,000 into 750,000 pretty frickin quick. of course AR can explain how he will not see a dime after his lawyers eat up all of the winnings with fees and such. Quote Link to comment
Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Totally worth it... Quote Link to comment
huskernumerouno Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 they were probably your teeth that he put in first No, he had all his removed at his boyfriends request a long time ago Quote Link to comment
husker rob Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 they were probably your teeth that he put in first No, he had all his removed at his boyfriends request a long time ago yeah but the dentist saved them and used them as implant gags Quote Link to comment
Necava Husker Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Think of the possibilities if the guy was a plastic surgeon. Woulda been funny to see a half dozen pair of sow tits grafted onto the assistant. Quote Link to comment
Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 they were probably your teeth that he put in first No, he had all his removed at his boyfriends request a long time ago yeah but the dentist saved them and used them as implant gags Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.