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US radio host Don Imus sued by doctor for slander

Posted on: Tuesday, 12 July 2005, 14:54 CDT

By Jeanne King

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A pediatric doctor is suing outspoken radio host Don Imus for slander, claiming Imus defamed him by calling him "one of the worst doctors in the world" during his "Imus in the Morning" show.

In court papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, the physician, Dr. Howard Allen Pearson, said that Imus falsely told his audience that the doctor "did not care if children suffered."

Contacted at his radio station on Tuesday, Imus declined to respond to questions about the case.

Imus owns a ranch in New Mexico, which he says aims to give a cowboy experience to children suffering from cancer and other issues. The facility hosts about 100 children annually.

Imus's comments came after Pearson, a pediatric cancer and blood specialist who frequently attended to children at the ranch, treated a child in July 2004.

Pearson was called to attend to a girl complaining of back pain, but because the call did not seem to be an emergency he chose to walk the short distance to treat her rather than accept a lift from Imus's wife, the suit said.

According to court papers filed last week and made public on Monday, Imus approached Pearson shortly after he attended to the child. Carrying a hunting knife and revolver, Imus screamed and cursed at Pearson for about 10 minutes, calling him an arrogant doctor "who doesn't mind letting a child suffer," the suit said.

It said that on his radio show the next day, Imus "spewed out patently slanderous aspersions," accusing Pearson of "professional incompetence." Imus repeated the comments on four later occasions, causing Pearson to be exposed "to public hatred, shame, contempt, ridicule, ostracism, degradation and disgrace," it said.

The lawsuit also accuses Imus of civil assault.

Pearson is seeking unspecified damages.

Source: REUTERS

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