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Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Boxer's Widow Filed Against Doctors
Beethavean Scottland, a boxer, died after a light-heavyweight bout aboard an aircraft carrier on the Hudson River. His wife, Denise Scottland, filed a negligence lawsuit against two ringside physicians.
A Manhattan judge has dismissed the suit as 'time barred', becausd after the expiration of the statute of limitations.
State Supreme Court Justice Sherry Klein Heitler said Denise Scottland's allegations against the doctors described malpractice rather than negligence, and because the statute of limitations for malpractice had lapsed, she dismissed the suit.
Beethavean Scottland, a 26-year-old light-heavyweight from North Brentwood, Maryland, was knocked out by undefeated George Khalid Jones in the last 37 seconds of a nationally televised 10-round fight aboard the USS Intrepid, a floating air-sea museum, on June 26, 2001.
In her lawsuit Denise Scottland said that Dr. Rufus Sadler and Dr. Gerard Varlotta, and other officials allowed her husband to be 'unreasonably and violently pummeled' during the fight.
According to Justice Heitler, allegations of Ms. Scottland are not negligence but malpractice and dismissed the claims against the doctors.
The lawsuit also names the boxing promoter and other individuals as defendants. Justice Heitler allowed the lawsuit against them to proceed.
Ms. Scottland also has two lawsuits pending against the city since 2002. The city owns the Intrepid, which is moored at 44th Street and the Hudson River.