Subj: I'm Feeling Your Story, Brian

I'm Ray McClanahan from Portland, Oregon feeling your dilemma, as I too am being sued by a podiatrist that I worked for about 2 years.

He recommended that his accountant (also close personal friend) would do good work preparing my taxes. Naively, I assumed he was helping me out and used his services. After not getting truthful answers and being deceived into paying taxes that I was not responsible for as an employee, I obtained a different accountant who informed me that I should hire an attorney as I was being taken advantage of.

After presenting my knowledge of the situation to the pod that I was working with, I received a letter from his attorney telling me that the clinic locks had been changed and I was out of a job. My patients were being told that I went on vacation and never came back.

I attempted to reason with the other Dr. who is portraying me as someone who abandoned my patients, but he seems bent on destroying me or at least getting me to pay him $70,000 for violating a non-competition clause.

Not feeling many other options for meeting my financial responsibilities, I opened up a clinic in the same town to serve the patients I had established and that he was now neglecting as he was the only pod in town and quite busy. Diabetics with open wounds couldn't get in to see him for over a month, etc. Through a peer review process, he was able to contribute to the removal of hospital staff privileges of the only other pod in town prior to him hiring me.

I have spent about $20,000 so far on legal counsel, but it isn't scheduled to be heard in court until Nov. I called my state society and spoke with the director who holds a   J.D. degree and his response was " too bad, these things do happen." Maybe the use of this forum will help prevent situations like ours from happening to the next group of well-trained physicians who may be perceived as a threat.

To that end, I applaud you for not taking the mistreatment and for going public. As my resources dwindle I may do what you have done in telling the whole story for all to hear.

Good luck in your quest for justice and feel free to pass on any suggestions.

Truthfully,

Ray McClanahan, DPM

RAM3338@aol.com

Portland, Oregon