Category Archives: UCLA sex scandal

UCLA sex scandal

First time

I haven’t ever done this before, but I’m doing it now because it’s becoming a pissing match on my blog that I’m not even involved in – so I’ve closed the comments on this post.

There are too many anonymous comments, too many statements with no supporting links/info, too much of the “well, let me tell you about this…” going on, and its making me uncomfortable because I’ve already let the whole thing go and gone on with life and other pursuits – therefore, so should all of you. If you feel you need to continue the backbiting and name calling you’ve been doing in my comments, start your own gosh darn blog. It’s free, you know.

I also do not like the idea of my blog ever becoming the focus or target of some sort of slander/libel lawsuit, so there.

kthxbye.

Applause is in order**

Good job! The jury assigned to figure out whether Dr. Heather Krell or Dr. David Martorano saw through all the bull and psychiatry mumbo jumbo and awarded neither party any money.

A Los Angeles jury Thursday found that UCLA’s psychiatry department did not sexually harass a former resident who alleged that he lost a coveted job because he had an affair with his supervisor.

But the jurors also did not believe the supervisor’s assertion that Dr. David Martorano slandered her by making up the affair, which Martorano testified included oral sex in parked cars. The supervisor denies it.

I’m still very impressed with Dr. Krell’s ability to avoid the photographers. Of course, if I’d been there, I would have got her picture, no doubt. Alas – the trial is over, with a verdict tantamount to “neither of you are in the right and neither of you get a prize.” I swear, I wish we could reach this step much faster – we might be able to unclog our court system. Too many lawsuits – like the one I was a juror on – is essentially a spat between friends/colleagues.

However, I gotta wonder – how did Dr. Dave’s wife feel about all this explicit testimony? Apparently they’re newlyweds – according to this page on the WeddingChannel, they were scheduled to get married just last November. I am also curious as to whether Dr. Krell is married.

Also, what about the previous, unrelated sexual harassment lawsuit with a multi-million jury award? Hm. So many questions, so few answers.

*Dr. Krell breaks her silence! She left me a comment tonight:

Being wrongly accused of sexual harassment, I was interested in principle not money. I countersued Dr. Martorano for $1.00.

-Heather Krell MD,MPH

Are you interested in possibly talking about the case, Dr. Krell?

*Dr. Krell left me this last message early this morning:

While my UCLA Colleagues and I are very pleased with the outcome, it was “unfortunate‚Äù that we had to go to a courtroom to defend our actions against “baseless accusation.”

Ah well. Time for everyone to start living their lives.

Some background on the UCLA sex scandal

I’m a relentless researcher, which I think is why I’m a journalist. So when I saw that no one else has really been covering the case, plus the persistent traffic I’d been getting on the UCLA sex scandal, Heather V. Krell and David Martorano, I decided to look into the subject a little deeper. Oh, and here’s the latest (and late) story by UCLA’s Daily Bruin.

I first started searching Dr. Krell, and couldn’t find what most people seem to want – her picture. Sorry folks. But here’s what I did discover – she has apparently consulted on several video games (sorry, I didn’t save those links), is often an NBC/MSNBC expert (once with Keith Olbermann), and her claim to fame is treating Winona Ryder.

Oh, but that’s not the best part.

So, I struck out when it came to finding Dr. Krell’s picture. Sorry again, but every lawsuit has two sides, so I turned my search to Dr. David Martorano. Bullseye! I even did a victory dance. Turns out he has a Friendster page. Dr. Martorano says:

I have been to every “in” spot in Los Angeles, I have been to more charity benefits, premieres and openings than I care to mention, and you, that one special you, the woman I have looked for my whole life, have not been. I have looked for you on airplanes and in grocery aisles, on the beach in Malibu, in the rain forests of Brazil. I have written songs and poems for you, but you still haven’t claimed them. I am actually getting a little irritated waiting around for you, but what choice do I have? How could I live without my beautiful, brilliant soul mate at my side?

Just so you know that I am the guy you were supposed to meet…

I am a 34 year old, former opera singer, turned psychiatrist. I spend my days at the beach when I can, and have been known to do some skiing from time to time. I love travelling, but hate to pack, fly and unpack. I hope to set sail around the world soon, but not without you….

Oh, but that’s not all. He wants to meet YOU because:

Now About you …. You are probably a brunetter. You are surely a college graduate, financially secure and between the ages of 28 and 34. You love Malibu, you might not live here yet, but can easily imagine growing old here. You do live within a half-hour of Malibu. Your area code is probably 310, or 818 unless you just moved here. You are between 5’4″ and 5’9″ (I am 5’10”) and your dress size does not have two digits. You know who Don Quixote is. You have been to Europe. You currently live alone. You do not have children, but can’t wait to have two or three of our very own.

Ah, the Internets. It’s a beautiful thing.

Sex at UCLA!?

Dude! How late is everyone to this party? It seems everyone dropped the ball on a sex scandal within UCLA’s medical school psychiatry department.

Haven’t heard about it? Neither have I, until I read this story. Read closely, it gets complicated:

The harassment action was brought by Dr. David Martorano, a former opera singer and the son of a psychiatrist who did his residency at UCLA — and, according to testimony, found the time to zip around Malibu in a two-seater going on dates and attending a private party thrown by adult entertainment companies.

In his suit, Martorano claims he and his former supervisor, Dr. Heather Krell, had a liaison. He was all set to become chief resident of Krell’s clinic. But the job was taken away from him after he broke off the affair, and rumors of it began to circulate, Martorano claims. He also contends that Krell smeared his reputation and painted him as a liar by claiming no affair ever took place.

Krell countersued Martorano for libel and slander. Her lawyer, Donald Garrard, claims Martorano is “obsessed with sex” and that “from the moment he arrived at UCLA, what was most important to him was to be known as a cocksman.” Martorano made up the story of sex with Dr. Krell to help him seduce another attending physician at UCLA, Krell’s lawyer claimed. Martorano also had an affair with a third psychiatrist in the department. According to court papers, this liaison is not in dispute, and the woman is expected to testify under a code name.

Krell, meanwhile, has filed a separate sexual harassment suit against UCLA, alleging that she was subjected to an onslaught of “sexual comments and sexually degrading and demeaning behavior and gestures” from yet another psychiatrist at UCLA, Dr. Andrew Leuchter. She also claims that department administrators retaliated against her when she complained of the abuse. UCLA disputes the allegations. That case is set to go to trial next fall.

The new allegations come on the heels of a $2.9-million sexual harassment and discrimination verdict against UCLA brought by another psychiatrist in the department.

Did you get all that? The rest of the story also adds that the trial started this month! How did we miss this? That means pretty much everyone missed the filing of this lawsuit and the various resultant filings that always ensue when someone sues a huge entity like UCLA.

Honestly, I’m really really surprised this hasn’t caught the attention of our local tabloid TV. It’s sweeps, and this is a made-for-sweeps story. Man, even the Daily Bruin dropped the ball. As an aside, I’d be really interested in how Jessica Garrison got tipped to this story, since it seems UCLA has been pretty successful at keeping it quiet.