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TIMELINE: Justus v. Rosner

By Bill Moss, Published: August 10, 2014

Timeline: Justus v. Rosner

June 7, 2000: Pamela Jane Justus sees Dr. Rosner for severe pain in the back of her neck and right temple.
June 27, 2000: Dr. Rosner conducts surgery for compression of her spinal cord.
Feb. 6, 2001: After Mrs. Justus complains of severe headaches, impaired balance and difficulty holding her head up, Rosner performs another surgery.
March 21, 2001: In a follow-up visit, Pam Justus complains of sensitivity to light and sound, occasional inability to think of words and a paralyzed left vocal cord.
September 2001: Duke University neurologists tell Pam Justus that "the surgeries performed on her by Dr. Rosner were not supported by the diagnostic studies he conducted prior to those surgeries," her lawsuit says.
January 2003: North Carolina Medical Board suspends Dr. Rosner's license for six months, saying he had performed unnecessary surgery on eight patients, including Pam Justus.
June 11, 2003: The Justuses file lawsuit against Dr. Michael J. Rosner, Park Ridge Hospital and Adventist Health System for what they described as unnecessary surgeries that caused pain, loss of income, medical expenses, "loss of use of part of the body, and permanent injury." The lawsuit says the couple learned in January 2003 that her procedure was among Rosner surgeries the state Medical Board reviewed. "The Board's finding was that the surgeries performed on Mrs. Justus by Dr. Rosner, in June 2000 and in February 2001, were not medically indicated," the lawsuit says.
January 2004: North Carolina Medical Board reinstates Dr. Rosner's license under conditions that require a second opinion.
February 2009: North Carolina Medical Board again suspends Rosner's license.
April 2009: In a filing before the Medical Board, Rosner's lawyers suggests the board's disciplinary actions are inviting malpractice lawsuits against the surgeon. "There is some reason to believe that these cases depend on the Board's action for their legitimacy," adding "it is clear that plaintiffs' lawyers played an important role in bringing the patients to the Board's attention." In June 2003, four months after the board suspended Rosner's license the first time, one law firm filed eight lawsuits (including the Justus lawsuit).
November 2010: Medical Board reinstates Rosner's license, this time with five conditions governing surgeries.
Sept. 20, 2012: Pam Justus dies at age 58, leaving her husband, a daughter and a son.
July 28, 2014: Attorneys for Rosner and Park Ridge argue motions over disqualifying Judge Zoro Guice and what to call plaintiff's attorney Mike Easley, a former two-term attorney general and two-term governor ("Mr. Easley," Judge Forrest Bridges decrees).
July 29-Aug. 1: From a pool of 291 Henderson County residents, attorneys and Judge Guice agree on a jury of six men and six women. Trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 11. It is expected to last four to six weeks.
SOURCES: North Carolina Medical Board records, Justus v. Rosner lawsuit filings.