Opiate Doctor’s Conviction Upheld in Prescription Drug Overdose Deaths

Eisenberg & Associates settled 8 wrongful death lawsuits against Dr. Lisa Tseng (Orange County Superior Court case no. 00573802), who was convicted for the prescription drug overdose deaths of 3 of her patients. On December 14, 2018, the landmark case was upheld by the California Court of Appeal.

The California Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction of Dr. Lisa Tseng in the landmark case since it was the first in the U.S. where a physician who prescribed opiates resulted in a murder conviction. Dr. Tseng was tried and convicted for illegally prescribing opiates and narcotics without a legitimate medical purpose.

It was stated in the appellate court opinion, “as a licensed physician, Tseng had expert knowledge of the life-threatening risk posed by her drug prescribing practice. She knew that the drugs she prescribed were dangerous and that the combination of the prescribed drugs, often with increasing doses, posed a significant risk of death.”

“The case against Dr. Tseng exposed an opiate doctor who illegally prescribed opiates and narcotics for profit. This should be a warning to other ‘pill mill doctors’ from engaging in similar outrageous conduct, which perpetuates the addiction of their patients and causes irreparable harm to their families,” said Irvine attorney Larry Eisenberg, who represented 8 families in wrongful death cases against Dr. Tseng, as well as other plaintiffs in lawsuits against opiate doctors and other health care facilities.

The opiate crisis in the U.S. is ongoing due to the unconscionable conduct of opiate doctors. As a result, the civil and criminal justice system will continue to respond to protect the legal rights of the victims and their families, said Eisenberg.