Doctor Sues County, Alleging Slander in Child Rape Case

LANCASTER — A Woodland Hills doctor who examined a 4-year-old girl for signs of rape has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Los Angeles County for allegedly slanderous statements a sheriff’s investigator made to reporters accusing her of refusing to treat the girl.

Dr. Christine Daniel is seeking $2 million in general damages and $1 million in special damages resulting from harm to her professionally, said Richard Garrigues, her attorney.

Daniel contends Det. David Fletcher falsely accused her of refusing treatment to the Lancaster girl--whose 12-year-old cousin stands accused of raping her in August--according to court documents.

“Not only did she give the proper treatment, she went out of her way” to ensure the child was not returned to a potentially dangerous environment, Garrigues said.

Los Angeles County attorneys and the Sheriff’s Department have not reviewed the case, authorities said. “It is normal operating procedure” for officials to remain silent on pending litigation, said Deputy Bill Martin, a spokesman for the department.

Daniel, 41, runs a North Hollywood clinic for mostly poor patients and also worked at Lancaster Community Hospital as one of a group of doctors who contract their services.

In statements to The Times after the alleged rape, Fletcher said that when deputies brought the girl into the Lancaster hospital, Daniel made her wait 90 minutes, treated her roughly and refused to complete the examination--the remainder of which was performed at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center almost 48 hours later.

Daniel denied the allegations and accused the investigators of trying to rush her work so they could quickly make an arrest.

She has said previously that she wanted to keep the girl for an extended period of time to conduct a more thorough examination to investigate possible indications that the youngster had been abused repeatedly--possibly by an adult.

Despite a statement defending the doctor by Mothers Against Sexual Abuse--a rape-victims support group--and another statement by the hospital that a four-hour stay for post-rape treatment is not unusual, Daniel has been subjected to harassment, including people driving by her home and yelling at her, Garrigues said.

The media “doesn’t know who she is,” he said. “She devotes almost all her income to underprivileged children.”