SIMI VALLEY : Doctor’s License Salvaged by Judge
A Ventura County doctor, accused of having sex with a patient, will not lose his license despite a medical board decision to revoke it, a Los Angeles judge ruled this week.
The decision by Superior Court Judge Joseph R. Kalin pleased Dr. Don Alan Lee, a cardiologist who has offices in Simi Valley and Westlake Village.
“He’s just interested in getting back to cardiology,” said Lee’s lawyer, Rex Beaber.
The state medical board, which investigated the allegations, found that Lee had sex with Ellen A. Cleary and illegally prescribed her drugs. The board ruled in September that Lee’s license should be revoked.
Lee appealed the ruling to the Superior Court, arguing that there was no evidence to substantiate the charges, Beaber said.
Deputy Atty. Gen. Richard Avila, who represents the board, said he thought Kalin’s ruling, issued Tuesday, was in error.
“He is free to practice as if nothing had ever happened,” Avila said.
Cleary was murdered in 1990 after her boyfriend, Timothy J. Velasco, discovered her in bed with Lee. Velasco was later convicted of first-degree murder.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
