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QINGDAO TODAY
在线翻译:
szdaily -> Speak Shenzhen -> 
Jury awards $105m in suit against ‘pH Miracle’ author
    2018-11-12  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

A California author who preaches alternative medicine has been ordered to pay US$105 million to a mother-of-four who said he falsely promised to cure her breast cancer.

San Diego jurors ordered Robert O Young recently to pay medical expenses and damages to terminally-ill Dawn Kali, 45, after she was convinced by Young to forgo chemotherapy and spend thousands for his treatments.

She later sued for fraud and negligence when the cancer ultimately spread, giving her just four years to live.

This comes over a year after Young was convicted of practicing medicine without a license and sentenced to nearly four years in prison. He ultimately served just a few months.

Young wrote “The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health” and several other best-selling books promoting an alternative theory of fighting illness.

His treatments are based on the theory that acidity causes disease and preaches an alkaline diet as a cure-all.

Kali said Young had advised her to delay regular chemotherapy treatment and instead spend thousands on massages, colon cleansing and baking soda infusions at Young’s Valley Center retreat.

She finally sought medical help in 2013 after the cancer spread to her bones and developed into stage four. The mother-of-four has been given four years to live.

“The jury listened carefully and understood the gravity of the evidence, and rendered a verdict that was commensurate with the damage Ms. Kali suffered, and will suffer,” Kali’s lawyer Patrick Swan said.

He also told the San Diego Tribune that he hopes the verdict “will have an effect on the miracle, cure-all cancer industry.”

The US$105 million award includes US$90 million for pain and suffering and US$15 million for punitive damages.

His theories and treatments of intravenous fluids mixed with baking soda went for as much as US$500 each.

The judge argued that his degrees came from a non-accredited “diploma mill.” Young received a doctorate in eight months in 1995.

But Young called the ruling “totally outrageous.” His attorney Conrad Joyner said he plans to appeal the ruling.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【化疗】huàliáo chemotherapy treatment of disease, esp. cancer, by means of chemical agents

【诈骗】zhàpiàn fraud deliberate deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain

由于向一位4个孩子的母亲虚假允诺治愈其乳腺癌,加州一位鼓吹替代疗法的作者近日被判赔偿1.05亿美元。

近日,圣迭戈的陪审团判决罗伯特•欧•杨向癌症晚期病人、45岁的道恩•凯莉支付医疗费和赔偿金。此前罗伯特•欧•杨说服她放弃化疗,花费数千美元使用他的疗法。

之后凯莉体内的癌细胞最终扩散,医生说她只剩4年生命。她起诉罗伯特•欧•杨诈骗和过失罪。

在一年多前,罗伯特•欧•杨被判无证行医罪,并被判处近4年监禁。但他最终只服刑几个月。

杨曾著有《PH奇迹:平衡饮食,恢复健康》等数本畅销书,推广其抵御疾病的替代疗法。

他的疗法基于酸性体质会导致疾病这样一种理论,并鼓吹碱性饮食包治百病。

凯莉说,杨建议她延缓常规化疗,而是让她在其山谷治疗中心花费了数千美元进行按摩、灌肠和小苏打输液治疗。

在癌细胞骨转移、发展到四期后,她最终在2013年去医院就诊。医生说她只剩4年生命。

凯莉的律师帕特里克•斯旺说:“陪审团认真听取了法庭辩论,了解到了证据的严重性,最终宣布的裁决与凯莉女士已经受到,以及将要承受的损失相当。”

他还告诉《圣迭戈论坛报》说,希望这一裁决“能影响到这一神奇且宣称包治百病的抗癌产业。”

1.05亿美元的赔偿金中包括9000万美元身体疼痛和精神损失,以及1500万美元的惩罚金。

按照他的理论和疗法,他在给病人静脉输液时混入小苏打,每支要价500美元。

法官表示,罗伯特•欧•杨的文凭来自一所不被认可的“野鸡大学”。他在1995年仅用了8个月时间就拿到了博士学位。

不过罗伯特•欧•杨表示这一判罚“让人愤怒”。他的律师康拉德•乔伊娜称其代理人计划上诉。(Chinadaily.com.cn)

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