Doctor drops suit with hospital
Rosenfeld wants to turn his focus to new job
KAREN GARLOCH
kgarloch@charlotteobserver.com
Dr. Jeffrey Rosenfeld, longtime director of the Carolinas Neuromuscular/ALS Center, has voluntarily dropped his 7-month-old lawsuit against his former employer, Carolinas HealthCare System.

Rosenfeld, 50, who was fired last May, claimed breach of contract and defamation of character. CHS denied those claims.

Rosenfeld has accepted a job in California and wants to devote his time and money to that effort. The suit was dismissed "without prejudice," which means it could be refiled within a year.

Rosenfeld's lawyer, John Buric, said the dismissal should "not make the hospital feel vindicated. This is not because we think the hospital has proved a point."

Hospital officials notified the Observer of the dismissal Thursday, but had no further comment.

Sometime this summer, Rosenfeld said he will become chief of the division of neurology at the Fresno campus of the University of California San Francisco.

In its response to Rosenfeld's suit, CHS said it had received complaints from female medical students who said Rosenfeld "engaged in inappropriate physical contact during (physical) examinations."

Rosenfeld said he offered students the option of being examined by him so he could demonstrate the proper method of conducting physical exams to diagnose medical problems. He said feedback from students showed the exams were an "incredibly useful teaching tool."

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