My son called from the emergency room before dawn and said, “Dad, the doctor is refusing to treat me. He says I’m faking it for drugs.” When I got there, the doctor’s s…

Vance hired Richard Keller, a defense attorney known for representing physicians in malpractice and licensing actions. Keller’s strategy was exactly what any experienced litigator would have predicted. Attack the complainant’s credibility. Argue that emergency medicine required rapid decisions under imperfect conditions. Suggest that the patient’s presentation was ambiguous. Claim the outcome would have been the same regardless of timing. Reframe prejudice as “clinical instinct.” Dress bias in the language of professional discretion and hope the board preferred ambiguity to conflict.

Before the hearing could begin, the story leaked.