SACRAMENTO (CN) - A dermatologist who once treated Hollywood's biggest stars, including Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor, claims in court that Attorney General Kamala Harris and the state Medical Board are demanding that he undergo medical and psychiatric examinations, but won't tell him why.
Dr. Arnold Klein filed a writ of administrative mandamus petition in Superior Court against the Medical Board of California, the Department of Consumer Affairs, the State of California and Attorney General Harris.
He claims the respondents refused his requests to see an evidentiary fact petition that forms the basis of their order to submit to the psychiatric and physical examinations.
In his petition, Klein described himself as "a pioneer in the field of dermatology," who founded the Elizabeth Taylor HIV Clinic at UCLA. He says he is also a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA "with an endowed chair named after him."
Klein has fallen on hard times. In January, the Los Angeles Times reported that Klein was bankrupt, and that he blamed it on two former employees who he says embezzled millions from him. The employees denied it and countersued, claiming Klein's career in medicine took a back seat to his extravagant lifestyle and sexual pursuits.
The Times story reported that during the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray, defense attorneys presented records seized from Klein's office showing that Klein gave Jackson large doses of Demerol and, unbeknownst to Murray, turned Jackson into an addict.
The judge in that trial barred Murray's defense team from calling Klein to the stand, and a jury convicted Murray of involuntary manslaughter in 2011.
The Daily Beast reported in December 2011 that the California Medical Board had issued a subpoena for Klein to appear, to determine whether his medical license should be suspended.
Klein wrote in his recent complaint that the Medical Board apparently believes that he may be unable to practice medicine safely because he has a mental or physical illness affecting competency.
"Without providing petitioner Dr. Klein any specific reason, on May 2, 2012 respondent Medical Board mailed Dr. Klein a letter, accompanied by a May 2, 2012 order compelling physical and mental examinations," the complaint states. "The order ... directed him to immediately submit to a physical examination by a physician of the Board's choosing, which would include biological testing to determine the presence of scheduled and/or illicit drugs. It further directed him to submit to a psychiatric examination, including psychological testing, by a psychologist or psychiatrist of the Board's choosing. The order concludes with the warning that 'the failure of respondent to comply with this order shall constitute grounds for disciplinary action suspending or revoking his physician's and surgeon's certificate.'"
Klein claims his lawyers contacted the board's investigator to request a copy of the petition, contact information for the doctors who would examine, him and a delay until June to accommodate Klein's schedule. He claims that the investigator gave him the contact information he requested, but refused to send him a copy of the petition or change the examination date.