Charlotte Grieve
THE INSIDE STORY OF THE DR MUNJED AL MUDERIS DEFAMATION TRIAL – a brilliantly told testament to the power of investigative journalism to hold institutions and individuals accountable. It all started when a daughter asked her father ‘Are there any risks?’.
Investigative journalist Charlotte Grieve had a very personal reason to be interested in celebrated orthopaedic surgeon Dr Munjed Al Muderis. Her father had lost his leg almost sixty years before a chance meeting with Dr Al Muderis, who raised concerns about her father’s ongoing mobility. The famous doctor told him that osseointegration surgery would keep him out of a wheelchair. Her mother suggested a second opinion. The collision of the personal and professional would spark an investigation that led to a $20 million defamation trial.
Charlotte uncovered serious concerns about the doctor’s surgical practice and evidence that he routinely failed to adequately inform patients of the risks involved in his signature procedure. Doctors have a duty of care, but they also legally have a duty to warn. It means that they must warn patients of any risks. When that is not done, vulnerable people have to live with the consequences.