Date: 11-22-2011

Case Style: Michelle Quant v. Amy L. Farrar, M.D.

Case Number: CJ-2008-5603

Judge: P. Thomas Thornbrugh

Court: District Court, Tulsa County, Oklahoma

Plaintiff's Attorney: G. Steven Stidham, Sneed Lang Herrold, P.C., Tulsa, Oklahoma and Brian T. Inbody, McNamara, Inbody & Parish, PLLC, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Defendant's Attorney: Jeffrey A. Glendening, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Description: Michael Quant, Duste Noel Quant, Deceased, sued Amy L. Farrar, M.D. and Family Medical Clinic, Inc. on medical negligence (medical malpractice) and respondeat superior theories.

Plaintiff alleged that" "Amy L. Farrar, M.D., was a licensed physician in Oklahoma and held herself out to the general public as an expert in the area of internal medicine."

"Defendant Family Medical Care of Tulsa, Inc. was the employer of Farrar."

"From approximately December 2, 2003 through April 16, 2004, Defendant Farrar provided medical supervision to the Decedent Noel quant."

"Duste Noel quant had previously been diagnosed with multi-personality disorder. During the course of providing treatment, Defendant Farrar prescribed overlapping narcotics on several occasions to treat different pains allegedly experienced by different personalities related to Ms. Quant's multi-personality disorder."

"Dr. Farrar's justification for prescribing several different "overlapping" opiate pain medications to Ms.Quant was that Ms. Quant was that Ms.Quant's "alters used different medications for the sames issues."

"On April 16, 2004, Dr. Farrar treated Quant and prescribed here various narcotic medications, including Demerol, Dilaudid, Oxycontin and Vicodin."

"On April 17, 2004, Quant died of a narcotic drug overdose - from the toxic effects of mixed drugs including oxycodone and hydrocodone."

"Dr. Farrar's professional treatment of Ms. Quant was below the applicable standard of care."

"Dr. Farrar's decision to treat Ms. Quant's different "alters" with individual medications is not supported by medical or psychiatric science or opinion."

"As a direct and proximate result of the negligence and carelessness of Defendants Farrar and Family Medical Care of Tulsa, Inc., Duste Noel Quant died of a narcotic overdose."

Dr. Farrar admitted that she was licensed to practice medicine in Oklahoma and that she was employed by Family Medical Care of Tulsa, Inc.

Dr. Farrar also claimed that the death of Ms. Quant was not foreseeable and that her death was the result of independent superceding events Defendants did not cause and over which they had no control.

Dr. Farrar further claimed that all of the care that she provided was appropriate and complied with the standard of care.

Dr. Farrar identified 65 witnesses including many physicians including Dr. M.A. Mirza, M.D., Dr. Neal Sherman, M.D., Dr. Syed Shabbir, M.D., Dr. Warren C. Stark, D.O., Kansas City, Missouri; Dr. Leonard Jones, M.D., Dr. Azhar Muttalib, M.D., and Dr. Peter Hirsch, M.D., Torrance, California; Dr. Paul Neubach, Dallas, Texas; Dr. Vickie Borck, Dallas, Texas, Dr. Carl Young M.D., Dallas Texas. None of the out-of-town physicians were named in Defendants' last witness list.


The claims made and defenses asserted are not available.

Outcome: Settled for an undisclosed sum and dismissed with prejudice.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts: Dr. M.A. Mirza, M.D., Dr. Neal Sherman, M.D., Dr. Syed Shabbir, M.D., Dr. Warren C. Stark, D.O., Kansas City, Missouri; Dr. Leonard Jones, M.D., Dr. Azhar Muttalib, M.D., and Dr. Peter Hirsch, M.D., Torrance, California; Dr. Paul Neubach, Dallas, Texas; Dr. Vickie Borck, Dallas, Texas, Dr. Carl Young M.D., Dallas Texas

Comments: Eidtor's Note: Plaintiff never identified her witnesses in and the case was settled before pre-trial. This is somewhat unusual for a medical negligence case.