Doctor Gets Caught Lying Under Oath

The Courier Journal has reported that a Jefferson County Kentucky Circuit Court Judge has found a Louisville, Kentucky doctor in contempt of court for lying under oath in a deposition. The ruling was issued last week by Judge Frederic Cowan against Dr. Kenneth Smith. Smith has been fined $7,500.00 by the court and the doctor’s false testimony will be allowed to be brought out at the trial.

The doctor’s false statements are reportedly involving whether or not he anonymously sent two newspaper articles about the dangers of frivolous lawsuits to a man who was in the preliminary stages of suing the doctor. The presumption being that he was trying to discourage the man from filing the lawsuit against him. The CJ reports that it has been alleged that the doctor lied over 20 times about having any knowledge of the anonymous letters.

Too often attorneys in lawsuit experience witnesses who lie under oath. It is a flaw within our system, as justice should be about judgment based upon true facts and not skewed by lies. The problem really is that the punishments for lying under oath are not stiff enough. The above case is one of the few where the courts really cracked down on the lies.

Too often attorneys in lawsuit experience witnesses who lie under oath. It is a flaw within our system, as justice should be about judgment based upon true facts and not skewed by lies. The problem really is that the punishments for lying under oath are not stiff enough. The above case is one of the few where the courts really cracked down on the lies.

Too often attorneys get answers to questions during depositions, under oath, that are blatant lies. The attorney’s are often left with the only recourse being to show the jury the contradicting evidence and suggest to the jury that the other party has lied. This puts the liar in a position that if the true seals his or her fate in a verdict against them, they likely see it as they’ll lie and take their chances that they may get away with it and win their case. When people are faced with the option of tell the truth and loose versus lie and maybe win, too often they take their chances and go for the win. It is the lack of punishment for lying under oath, coupled with the far remote chances of the courts will actually take punitive action against them, that allows this wrongful distortion of our justice system to continue.

Good for Judge Cowan for his recent findings and action against this perjury.

More server punishment by courts for, what they may find as a blatant lie, likely would force people to be more truthful and might actually expedite the justice system.