A North Dakota oral surgeon accused of inappropriately touching four patients has asked the state's Supreme Court to overturn the suspension of his license, according to a news report.
The state Board of Dental Examiners voted unanimously in September 2007 to suspend the license of Greg Frokjer, D.D.S., for six months, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The board also fined Dr. Frokjer $68,000.
The board had spent a year investigating charges that he inappropriately touched the breasts or groin area of four women during preoperative exams in his Grand Forks office, according to the Grand Forks Herald.
Dr. Frokjer testified in May 2007 that he had to check the patients' pulses at arteries at the groin, and check lymph nodes in their breasts, according to AP.
In July 2007, Administrative Law Judge Allen Hoberg appeared to agree, ruling that the women were confused by sedatives and didn't understand the medical procedures Dr. Frokjer was conducting, AP said.
But according to the Grand Forks newspaper, the Board of Dental Examiners bought the argument of the patients, and its decision was upheld by a district court.
Now the Supreme Court must weigh the arguments in the appeal:
- That the board of dental examiners was bound by Hoberg's ruling
- That the board had a financial interest in penalizing Dr. Frokjer
- That the board applied an inappropriate standard of proof
The board president did not return phone calls for this article and Dr. Frokjer's attorney, Kerry Rosenquist, declined to comment.
