By: Kelda Doherty
Robert B. Garelick, a Long Island based dentist was arrested at his office by Suffolk County Police earlier this month after being reported by a co-worker. The 57 year old dentist was found to be performing dental work whilst under the influence of alcohol at his Lindenhurst, N.Y. office. Upon arrival at his office, Mr Garelick was found to be intoxicated and was swiftly removed and arrested for reckless endangerment by police officers. It is not yet clear what effects the dentist’s condition had on his patient however, reports allege that Dr. Garelick mistakenly injected the incorrect side of a patient’s mouth and consumed alcohol whilst on the premises.
The dentist was arraigned in District Court in Central Islip on January 22nd. After initially claiming the odor of alcohol was a result of a few beers with lunch, Dr. Garelick admitted to drinking vodka from a squeeze bottle during dental procedures to the arresting officers. Garelick has been released on his own recognizance. Dr. Garelick could face up to one year imprisonment if found guilty of the misdemeanor.
At Rheingold, our litigators have handled many cases in the areas of both medical malpractice and professional negligence with a successful track record as a testament to their experience. In cases of professional negligence which involves sexual contact, the issue of insurance coverage will arise. Policies often only cover negligent actions as opposed to intentional acts. Seeing the insurance policy, and understanding exactly what happened, is always of primary importance for our investigations
