Staten Island's Dr. Gilbert Lederman—whom you may remember from such lawsuits as "Will You Sign This Guitar, Dying George Harrison?"—is being sued by a Sicilian woman for allegedly blasting her with radiation without verifying if she had pancreatic cancer. She was recommended for the procedure by Lederman's colleague Salvatore Conte, who isn't even a doctor. Rather, Conte and Lederman are partners in advertising "Fractionated Stereotactic Radiosurgery" on Italian infomercials.
Conte "diagnosed" patient Giuseppa Bono, telling her she was eligible for the treatment. Lawyer Bruce Behrins said Conte would screen patients in the Naples branch of Staten Island University Hospital, and would take a portion of the $17,500 up front, cash fee. Behrins said in court, "Conte wasn't a doctor. He was nothing. He was a commissioned salesman." Dr. Lederman apparently treated Bono on Conte's word, and she died a year after receiving the treatment.
Lederman's lawyers claim that Bono refused a biopsy to confirm her condition, and that other test results were conclusive with pancreatic cancer. However, Behrins said, "There's not a single sheet of paper supporting the diagnosis from Italy in the Staten Island University Hospital file." Over 20 lawsuits have been filed by various patients, but because Bono may not have actually had cancer, this is the only one to make it to trial. Other suits claimed the advertisements, which called the radiosurgery "a treat, not a treatment," overstated its effectiveness.
