Events and Commentary

Basic Facts About the Trial

United States v Peterson et al.
CR No H-97-237
Trial Location: U S District Court, 515 Rusk Avenue, Room 9136, Houston, Texas 77002
Trial Judge: Honorable Ewing Werlein, Jr.

Our Columnists

For Legal matters:
R. Christopher Barden, Ph.D., J.D., LP
R. C. Barden & Associates
North Salt Lake, Utah

Zachary Bravos
Chicago, Illinois

On social implications and professionalism:
Spencer Harris Morfit
Westford, Massachusetts

For Psychiatric issues:
to be announced

Commentary

Comments on the Issues (R. C. Barden)

True Believers? (S. H. Morfit)

On Professional Standards (S. H. Morfit)

On Hypnosis (S. H. Morfit)

Speculation and Manipulation (S. H. Morfit)

Unindicted Co-Conspirators (Z. Bravos)

License Revocation Hearing

The Department of Professional Regulation of the State of Illinois has brought a complaint against Bennett G. Braun, M.D., whom it accuses of three counts of gross negligence, three counts of dishonorable, unethical or unprofessional conduct, one count of misrepresentation, one count of misuse of a controlled substance or narcotic, and one count of behavior demonstrating incapacity or incompetence to practice, all in connection with his handling of the case of Patricia Burgus and her family. Dr. Braun, who has been named as an undicted co-conspirator in the Houston criminal trial, is the founder and former Medical Director of the Dissociative Disorders Unit (now closed) at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Skokie, Illinois. He is a founder of the International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality Disorder, (ISSMPD) subsequently changed to The International Society for the Study of Dissociation (ISSD). A preliminary hearing of the State of Illinois complaint took place on September 28. Dr. Braun's lawyers asked that the complaint be quashed on statute-of-limitations grounds, but this objection was overruled. A second complaint has been filed by the Department against another psychiatrist, Dr. Elva Poznanski.

A pre-trial hearing in the case against Dr. Braun took place on November 9.