The case of the death of newborn Boaz Yoder plunged detectives into the murky world of USCs ex-medical school dean, Carmen Puliafito. The search for the truth plunged Dets. In those cases, however, drugs were the clear-cut cause of death. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. I dont know what her current status is, he answered. Dr. Carmen Puliafito was dean of the medical school at the University of Southern California. The burn is from more than just touching something hot, said Ribe, who assigned the case to Szymanski but did not recall being involved in its conclusions. Dr Carmen . The Times was later sold to biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. A report, left, filled out by an investigator at the scene of Boaz Yoders death on Oct. 5, 2017, shows shading on a diagram of the infants body, which represents discolorations on the babys chest and face from, (Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner). Dr. Rohit Varma, Puliafito's successor, resigned after less than a year in the position following a report that he sexually . Cloudflare Ray ID: 78bba401eaef915f She said Puliafito used drugs with her and sometimes brought her and other members of their circle to the USC campus after-hours to party. Marcia Frellick. Puliafito's lawyer, Timothy Reuben, insisted in an email that despite the law enforcement findings, the physician "was simply a good Samaritan." "Dr. Puliafito did NOT provide any methamphetamine to Dora Yoder nor was he using any," Reuben wrote. USC President C.L. He and colleagues persisted, continuing to research the case until the report was finally published in July 2017, long after Puliafito had resigned as dean. (2005). In early 2017, she turned to him after discovering she was pregnant, and he paid for her detox program, according to medical board filings. Yang was among the USC signatories on a November stipulation for settlement, which was the basis of the agreement, the sources said. Instead, it was a male caller who dialed 911 at 7:40 a.m. to report a baby who wasnt breathing. Carmen A. Puliafito (Photo by Tonya Wise/Invision/AP) One of the most damning accusations was that USC staff knew of Puliafito's behavior. Carmen Puliafito's case stands out as an extreme example of a derailed administrative career, but it highlights a more common truism that downfalls in higher education are often preceded by . The man who called for an ambulance at an Altadena apartment last fall had the calm and direct manner of one familiar with healthcare emergencies. Los Angeles Times co-owner Michele Soon-Shiong shakes hands with journalist Paul Pringle, right, after it was announced that Pringle and fellow reporters Matt Hamilton, left, and Harriet Ryan won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. Puliafito was fired by the university shortly after the investigation was published. He gave a note on Times letterhead to Nikias wife. A child-abuse expert was also consulted. The secret double life of former USC dean Dr. Carmen Puliafito - a tale involving drugs, prostitution and alleged extortion - is detailed through photos and interview transcripts. Until now. Puliafito spent a month in rehab after being ousted from USC but remained deeply involved with Yoder, according to medical board filings and her relatives. Nothing happened, according to Bad City. He called the office of C.L. The story was killed, according to the book. I knew and approved of their work from the beginning, Maharaj said. Since joining the paper in 2008, she has written about high-profile people, including Phil Spector, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, and institutions, including USC, the Catholic Church, the Kabbalah Centre and Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin. Absolutely, Puliafito says. Six months after Dr. Carmen Puliafito stepped down as dean of USC's medical school, he was called by the university to give sworn testimony as a witness in a lawsuit the institution was facing. Then-Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, left, Dr. Inderbir Gill, actress Shirley MacLaine, actress Annette Bening and actor Warren Beatty at a USC event at the Montage Beverly Hills hotel in May 2009 . The Advanced Ophthalmic Diagnostics (AOD) company set up by C Puliafito, E Swanson, and J Fujimoto in 1992, was acquired by Humphrey Zeiss two years later and went on to develop machines that were introduced into . Paul Pringle. USCs current president, Carol Folt, declined an interview request and did not answer written queries, among them whether she agreed with the criticism about settlements that silence accusers. Now that we're part of KPCC, those stories (including this one you're on right now!) The Detroit Lions quarterback and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model are set to tie the knot after being together since 2019. . The police officer who last year questioned the then-dean of USC's medical school about his role in the drug overdose of a young woman expressed skepticism at Dr. Carmen Puliafito's account . Video of Dr. Carmen Puliafito, then-dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, in September 2015. Yoder wasnt real receptive, the detective recalled, but agreed to a brief interview in the driveway. The grave of Boaz Yoder, an infant who died in 2017, at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Culver City. [4], Puliafito was appointed dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC in December 2007. In 2012, he was 21st of the highest-paid research university executives in the United States. In "Bad City," Times investigative reporter Paul Pringle who led the paper's efforts to scrutinize Puliafito and USC dissects how the university and several of The Times' top editors, now no longer at the paper, allegedly fell from grace together. The Times story on the management changes said the two men were fired in a dramatic shake-up. The company also terminated a deputy managing editor; an assistant managing editor; reporter Jill Leovy, who is Duvoisins wife; and Maharajs executive assistant. DeAratanha listened closely, Pringle wrote, and I got Khans tip two days later.. Editors are supposed to make certain that reporters knock on those doors if all other attempts to reach the subject failed., Duvoisin said he thought Pringles efforts to contact Nikias were a bit over the top and verging on harassment. But, he said, I did not try to prevent him., Pringle countered that characterization: It could not be more routine to knock on the door of the subject of a story when that person does not respond to phone calls, emails and other attempts to engage him., He said he would expect to be disciplined by an editor if I failed to do that on a story of such importance., When Pringle went to Nikias house, the university president wasnt there. His medical licence was revoked in 2018, and the episode . One bill to which he contributed outlawed secrecy pacts in sexual abuse cases. Manly said he would not have allowed his clients in the Tyndall case to enter into an agreement that resulted in them giving up material like the photos and videos in the Puliafito matter in part because the same material could be useful in a future lawsuit. Pringle told him about the dean, the young woman, the overdose, USCs silence, the 911 recordings., Leonard agreed that the story was amazing and then asked a question that Bad City asserts would define the next several months of Pringles life. He said that the mother was his girlfriend but that he was in Pasadena. UC Hastings law professor Richard Zitrin had helped draft legislation limiting the use of gag orders and other types of secrecy in legal settlements. This was after [the attorney] had already signed off on it., Duvoisin defends all his editing decisions on the Puliafito story. Puliafito didnt call 911. Later that week, Szymanski learned from the coroners investigator about Puliafitos involvement and the attendant interest in the case from The Times. During her pregnancy, he took her on trips to Hawaii and Israel, he later testified. Its possible, he said, that I thought that the information we had was not robust enough to support something as assertive as that. Still, she noted, no meth should be present in an infant.. It should be unethical for a lawyer to do this.. In 2017, the Los Angeles Times revealed that Puliafito had engaged in parties with young recreational drug users and prostitutes, including at the Keck School's offices, and that Puliafito had smoked methamphetamine at these events. Pringle was furious. USC paid former Keck School of Medicine dean Carmen Puliafito over $1.8 million following his termination from the University, according to University tax filings disclosed this week. She offered her family a timeline, and it differed in one way from the one shed outlined to police: She said she found Boaz dead at 6 a.m., not 7:29 a.m., leaving an unexplained hour-and-a-half window before Puliafitos 911 call. Youre basically taking the evidence away from the victims, Jackson said. Khan filled him in about the overdose and the unconscious woman and the famous man and the official inaction. When detectives heard an unfamiliar name on the recordings, they tried to track the person down. Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Paul Pringle. Family members received prewritten affidavits to sign containing explicit denials that Puliafito used drugs as well as denials that Yoder harmed the baby. Dr. Carmen Puliafito, USC's former medical school dean at a state medical board meeting on May 30, 2018. According to Warren, the photos that show Puliafito and Yoder in the Las Vegas hotel were taken in 2015. Carmen Aguilera-Marquez said last month in a Times interview that the district attorneys office did a good job reviewing the case, and she noted there is a higher standard of proof in criminal cases than in medical board proceedings. The agreement was reached four months after a Times investigation disclosed Puliafitos relationship with Warren and a circle of other young addicts and criminals. In USCs lecture halls, labs and executive offices, Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito was a towering figure. The medical license of former USC medical school dean Carmen Puliafito has been revoked for violations . She told the investigator that she last saw her son alive about 2 a.m., when she nursed him. He was in an intense relationship with a 21-year-old escort named Sarah Warren, lavishing her with more than $300,000 in gifts and living expenses, according to an accounting he later provided a judge. July 24, 2017. "On behalf of the Board of Directors and management team, we are delighted to welcome Dr. Carmen Puliafito to Ophthotech," stated Samir Patel, MD, President and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Ophthotech. There's no question it was a slog getting the Puliafito story published. The terms were finalized the following January or February and noted that the Warrens were seeking damages from USC and Puliafito for his alleged use of illegal narcotics and alleged illegal sexual contact with Sarah Warren, the sources said. Now Greek couple win big . Investigators enlisted another pathologist to weigh in, and emails show that, as recently as May, one of the detectives sought to meet and discuss the case with the head coroner. Carmen Puliafito is shown on the first day of a 2018 state medical board trial where he said he'd completely rehabilitated from drug use. This represents the continuing and increasing dominance of medical . That was like saying we couldnt publish a story on the occurrence of a crime without first solving it., And that, he wrote, made him realize what was happening: Nikias was essentially in charge of the story. This was about real people, human beings. She asked for a meeting with the head coroner, Dr. Jonathan Lucas. The blankets, she said, were not covering his face. The university let him continue treating students, An overdose, a young companion, drug-fueled parties: The secret life of a USC med school dean, The Times investigation of George Tyndall, former USC gynecologist accused of sexually abusing students. 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Societys trust in once-revered institutions has tumbled, and pressure has grown for media companies to provide greater transparency about how they do their work and their relationships with those they cover. Emails obtained through a public records request show that she and her supervisor initially decided it was not possible to determine how Boaz died. My first instinct was to call 911, he said. Neither man has read Bad City. When told of allegations made in the book, they vociferously denied them. Former USC President C.L. Puliafito also did not respond to The Times requests for an interview about the settlement. On a November day in 2017, USC entered into a secret mediation agreement with the family of a young woman whose drug-fueled relationship with the former dean of the university's medical school had engulfed the institution in scandal.. Carmen Puliafito, who was dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC during the relationship, was also a party to the agreement, which paid Sarah Warren, her . An LA Times piece alleges that Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, founding director of the New England Eye Center at Tufts Medical School, led a double life while dean of USC's Keck School of Medicine. No details of the agreement had been publicly disclosed until now. They found a map to that world in the County Jails pay phones. This time around, Pringle figured out who she was. @ 34.122958, -118.142384. Independent, local . It was returned, unopened, to Maharaj the next day with a complaint from Brenda Maceo, USCs vice president for public relations and marketing, according to Bad City., Pringle has again crossed the line, Maceo wrote. Who does that? Manly said. Maharaj called assertions that decisions about The Times coverage of USC ever tilted in the universitys favor ridiculous. I and the other honorable senior editors who worked with me would never let any person or entity, including USC, dictate any aspect of our coverage, he said. There are a lot of unanswered questions about this death., Dr. James Ribe, a specialist in pediatric autopsies. Dr. A spokesman for Gascn did not respond to a request for comment. Pringle's new book, "Bad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels," recounts his pursuit of a story about Carmen Puliafito, a former dean of the University of Southern California's medical . A psychiatrist, Pine met Puliafito while they were students at Harvard Medical School.[21]. We had no information on that, Davis said. Warren had told the newspaper that she met Puliafito in early 2015 and that they were constant companions for more than a year and a half. The apartment lease was in his name, and her family and friends suspected he paid for almost everything: furniture, groceries, baby supplies and, disturbingly, drugs. Puliafito did NOT provide any methamphetamine to Dora Yoder nor was he using any, Reuben wrote. Eventually, Warren and her family agreed to talk, and so did others with whom Warren and Puliafito had illicitly partied. By Davis estimation, the Yoder case took more detective work than 90% of his other investigations, including those that ended with convictions. He drove over to her apartment, but it was swarming with EMTs. He did not stop. Experts in civil and criminal law said it can be risky to destroy original videos, photos and other material amid an ongoing inquiry, depending on the intent of those signing the agreement. Carmen A. Puliafito is an opthamologist and is the former Dean of the University of Southern California Medical School. Max Nikias, who was in office at the time and Amirs boss, knew nothing about the destruction of the images and other material, his attorney said in an email to The Times. Nor had an editor ever required that I get clearance to do so. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, An overdose, a young companion, drug-fueled parties: The secret life of a USC med school dean, An infant dies, a millionaire doctor calls 911, and a tale emerges of drugs, love and suspected crime, After a baby suddenly dies, a 911 call from USCs former medical school dean sparks detectives interest, Want to solve climate change? I just want to confirm that Dr. Lucas is in agreement with my cause and manner of death as this case has media interest and I can foresee it landing in a Los Angeles newspaper, Szymanski wrote in an email. A photo in the LA Times shows a man in a dark suit and tie, a white shirt and a serious expression. Max Nikias acknowledged concern on campus following the Los Angeles Times report that Dr. Carmen Puliafito, 66, was seen on video apparently using illegal . She did not refer Puliafito for prosecution, but he did not get his medical license back. In USCs lecture halls, labs and executive offices, Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito was a towering figure. It was a cover-up artists dream.. Atty. In "Bad City," Times investigative reporter Paul Pringle who led the paper's efforts to scrutinize Puliafito and USC dissects how the university and several of The Times . He perjured himself on the stand here today., a state prosecutor representing the medical board. There could be other victims out there.. Tulare sheriff said a drug cartel, then backtracks, These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, California vs. Florida: A tale of two Americas, Prosecutors sought 33 years to life, but Mongols biker who killed cop may be freed by March, Disneyland cast members laughed before disabled woman was injured on ride, lawsuit alleges, Five ways you can use Shape Your L.A., The Times civic engagement tool, Plane crash near Modesto airport leaves one dead, Essay: Martin Luther King Day should make you uncomfortable. Five months after the Puliafito investigation was published, newsroom employees formed a union, by a vote of 248 to 44. The largest, most important media company west of the Potomac and one of Los Angeles oldest institutions had an opportunity to do the right thing and lost its way, Pringle said in an interview. As is the norm for homicide detectives, the pair were responsible for more than a dozen investigations at any given time. There was no immediate indication of abuse or neglect. In USCs lecture halls, labs and executive offices, Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito was a towering figure. The sources said celebrity attorney Mark Geragos and his firm negotiated the deal for the Warren family. But to do so, a clandestine team of reporters had to hide their early efforts to cover the university from the papers top management, according to Bad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels, out this month. She checked a box indicating accident.. 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