Olson Deposition 2, January 8 2008
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Transcript of Olson Deposition 2, January 8 2008
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278
1 STATE OF MINNESOTA DISTRICT COURT
2 COUNTY OF HENNEPIN FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICTWrongful Death3
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -4 Court File No.
Mary Weiss, on her own behalf 27CV07-16795 and as next of kin and trustee
of the Estate of Dan Markingson,6 deceased, Videotape
Deposition7 Plaintiff, Vol. 2
8 -vs-
9 Board of Regents for the University ofMinnesota; Dr. Stephen Olson;
10 Dr. Charles Schulz; InstitutionalReview Board for the University of Minnesota;
11 Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP;Astrazeneca LP and Zeneca, Inc.,
12Defendants/Respondent
13 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volume 2 pgs. 278 - 328
14 Deposition of: STEPHEN OLSON, M.D.
15 Taken at: Pearson, Randall &Schumacher
16 100 South Fifth StreetSuite 1025
17 Minneapolis, Minnesota
18 Date: January 18, 2008
19 Commencing at: 11:00 a.m.
20
21
22
23 By MARTHA M. FIER, COURT REPORTER
24 12151 Gantry Lane
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Apple Valley, Minnesota 5512425 800-844-6420 * 952-431-1252
279
1 Deposition of STEPHEN OLSON, M.D., takenpursuant to Notice to Take Oral Deposition, under the
2 Rules of Civil Procedure, for the District Courts ofMinnesota, at Pearson, Randall & Schumacher, 100
3 South Fifth Street, Suite 1025, Minneapolis,Minnesota, commencing at approximately 11:00 a.m., on
4 the 18th day of January, 2008, before Martha M. Fier,Notary Public, in and for the State of Minnesota.
5- * -
6
APPEARANCES:7
R. CHRIS BARDEN, Esq., and GALE D. PEARSON,8 Esq., of the law firm of Pearson, Randall &
Schumacher, Fifth Street Towers, 100 South Fifth9 Street, Suite 1025, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
appeared for and on behalf of Plaintiff.10
DAVID P. ALSOP, Esq., and ANGELA M. NELSON,11 Esq., of the law firm of Gislason & Hunter, 701 Xenia
Avenue South, Suite 500, Minneapolis, Minnesota 5541612 appeared for and on behalf of Defendants Olson and
Schulz.13
DAVID C. HUTCHINSON, Esq., and CHARLES A.14 GROSS, Esq., of the law firm of Geraghty, O'Loughlin
& Kenney, Alliance Bank Center, 55 East Fifth Street,15 Suite 1100, St. Paul, Minnesota 55102 appeared for
and on behalf of Defendant Board of Regents of the16 University of Minnesota.
17 BRIDGET M. AHMANN, Esq., of the law firm ofFaegre & Benson, 2200 Wells Fargo Center, 90 South
18 Seventh Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-3901appeared for and on behalf of Defendants Astrazeneca
19 and Zeneca.
20 Also present, Ruth Flynn, Esq., RiskManagement Operations Director, University of
21 Minnesota Physicians, 720 Washington Avenue SE,Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414.
22- * -
23
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Examination:24 By Dr. Barden ........... 281
25 Exhibit No. 35 - Amended Videotape DepositionNotice marked on page 301
280
1 VIDEOGRAPHER: We are now on the
2 video record. This is the deposition of Dr. Stephen
3 Olson being recorded Friday, January 18, 2008 in
4 Minneapolis, Minnesota. At this time, will the
5 attorneys please identify themselves for the record.
6 DR. BARDEN: My name is Dr. Chris
7 Barden. I'm here for the plaintiff Mary Weiss.
8 MS. PEARSON: I'm Gale Pearson here
9 for Plaintiff Mary Weiss.
10 MS. AHMANN: Bridget Ahmann appearing
11 on behalf of Astrazeneca.
12 MR. GROSS: Charles Gross on behalf
13 of the University of Minnesota.
14 MR. HUTCHINSON: David Hutchinson for
15 the University of Minnesota.
16 MS. NELSON: Angela Nelson on behalf
17 of Dr. Olson.
18 MR. ALSOP: Dave Alsop on behalf of
19 Dr. Olson.
20 VIDEOGRAPHER: The time is now 11:09
21 a.m. Will the court reporter please administer the
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22 oath.
23
24
25
281
1 STEPHEN OLSON, M.D.
2 called as a witness,
3 having been duly sworn,
4 was examined and testified as follows:
5 EXAMINATION
6 BY DR. BARDEN:
7 Q. Good morning.
8 A. Good morning.
9 Q. Were you aware of the recent study in the
10 New England Journal of Medicine regarding the
11 misreporting of antidepressant effectiveness data?
12 A. Yes.
13 Q. What's your understanding of what that
14 study showed?
15 A. That the majority of studies showing
16 antidepressants to be superior to placebo ended up
17 published and the majority of studies that were
18 negative were not published.
19 Q. And by negative, you mean not superior to
20 placebo.
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21 A. Right, or inferior to placebo, if there
22 were such.
23 Q. Okay. As a psychiatrist, did that trouble
24 you?
25 A. Yes.
282
1 Q. Why?
2 A. Because it gives a distorted, inflated view
3 of the efficacy of antidepressants.
4 Q. And the research that the New England
5 Journal of Medicine was looking at extended back over
6 how many years?
7 A. By that, I don't know. That I don't know.
8 I have not seen the article itself. I've read a news
9 summary of it.
10 Q. Okay. Did the news summary inform you that
11 the misreported data goes back through the time
12 period that Dan was in the Cafe Study, that is those
13 years?
14 A. Oh, certainly.
15 Q. Okay. So, I mean, this --
16 A. I would assume it goes back to the '90s,
17 and I didn't know whether before that, but at least a
18 decade.
19 Q. So this was a longstanding pattern that
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20 they discovered.
21 A. Yes. Uh-huh.
22 Q. Okay. Are you aware of similar patterns of
23 misreporting of data on the effectiveness of
24 psychiatric treatments?
25 A. I'm not aware of other review articles or
283
1 meta-analysis of the sort, but I assume that that
2 goes on across the board, uh-huh.
3 Q. Were you aware, for example, of Dr. Walter
4 Freeman's work? Have you ever heard that name?
5 A. Walter Freeman?
6 Q. Yes.
7 A. The lobotomist?
8 Q. Yes.
9 A. Yes, uh-huh.
10 Q. Were you ever aware of any misreporting of
11 treatment effectiveness that Dr. Freeman did?
12 A. Well, I read Jack El-Hai's book about that,
13 but I don't remember specifically. That wouldn't
14 surprise me at all. Back in the 1950s I think it was
15 pretty clear that he had an inflated view of the
16 efficacy of psychosurgery.
17 Q. He was the master of the ice pick, correct?
18 MR. ALSOP: I'm going to object as
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19 argumentative and vague, but go ahead.
20 THE WITNESS: He was one of the
21 primary developers of that procedure and was
22 certainly its leading spokesperson and proponent.
23 BY DR. BARDEN:
24 Q. And when you say "that procedure," could
25 you describe for the record what Dr. Freeman would
284
1 do?
2 A. He would anesthetize the patient by
3 administering electroshock, and while they were
4 unconscious, he'd put a metal instrument, similar to
5 an ice pick, in the canthus of the eye, tapped it
6 with a hammer to break through the back of the orbit
7 and then moved it in some back and forth fashion to
8 sever fibers in the frontal lobe.
9 Q. That surgery is no longer widely used, is
10 it?
11 A. I'm not aware that that surgery is done at
12 all.
13 Q. Are you aware of a psychiatrist named Dr.
14 Bennett Braun?
15 A. No.
16 Q. Never heard of any misreporting of
17 treatment effectiveness for the treatment of
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18 so-called multiple personality disorders?
19 A. Oh, certainly, but I don't know --
20 Q. You don't know the names of the people
21 involved in that.
22 A. The names of the --
23 Q. The names of the MPD theorists and
24 researchers.
25 A. Oh, I would probably recognize some of
285
1 them, but not -- I can't recall, offhand, who was --
2 yeah. No, I don't know.
3 Q. Were you aware of any controversies
4 regarding misreporting of treatment data having to do
5 with so-called MPDs?
6 A. Yes, the psychiatric literature was -- and
7 popular literature was -- there were reports of the
8 wide-spread incidents of multiple personality
9 disorder and the treatment, beneficial treatment
10 effects of hypnosis and other forms of therapy to
11 reintegrate personalties. And many, many patients
12 were involved in treatment like that that wasn't
13 really supported by, I think, objective clinical
14 trials.
15 Q. How about treatment known as reparenting?
16 Have you ever heard of that, reparenting? I guess
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17 Dr. Dean Baack (phonetic) may have been the most
18 famous phonetic, but --
19 A. I don't know if that was the thing where
20 patients would be involved in some simulation of
21 birth and reborn in sort of a ritual ceremony. I'm
22 not sure if that's what you're referring to. I'm not
23 familiar with the term "reparenting."
24 Q. That's actually attachment therapy what
25 you're describing. But you're not aware of anything
286
1 known as reparenting therapy.
2 A. No, not to recall. If you described it to
3 me, I might recognize it.
4 Q. This is where the psychologist -- the
5 psychiatrist, actually, would cuddle the patient and
6 actually breast fed them, was reparenting them.
7 A. No, I haven't heard of that.
8 Q. Okay. We talked about misreporting of
9 antidepression med research. Are you aware of any
10 controversies with regard to a 10-fold increase in
11 the diagnosis of bipolar illness in children?
12 A. Yes.
13 Q. What's the nature of that particular
14 controversy, to the best of your knowledge?
15 A. That over the last decade, there's been
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16 first an increased awareness that bipolar disorder
17 could present in children, and then an increase in
18 attention and the literature and in clinical
19 practice. And so many more kids are diagnosed with
20 bipolar disorder now than were previously. And the
21 controversy is, is this really bipolar disorder or is
22 this just a more acceptable diagnosis for conduct
23 disorder and attention deficit and other behavior
24 problems? And concurrent with that is the
25 controversy about whether -- or whether and how much
287
1 of the treatment and diagnosis is promoted by the
2 pharmaceutical industry in order to create a, say a
3 new market for medications.
4 Q. The 10-fold increase is not just a
5 diagnosis of bipolar, it's also the use of very
6 serious antipsychotic medication typically given to
7 adults to younger and younger children, right? I
8 mean, that's part of the controversy.
9 MS. AHMANN: I'm going to object to
10 form.
11 THE WITNESS: Could you repeat the
12 question, because --
13 BY DR. BARDEN:
14 Q. Okay. It's not just a controversy about
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15 diagnosis, it's also a controversy about the use of
16 medications with children --
17 A. Yes.
18 Q. -- that are typically just used for adults.
19 A. Well, I disagree with that, that -- these
20 are medications that are approved for the use in
21 adults, and the number of studies and the amount of
22 research to support their use in children is far
23 less.
24 Q. But a 10-fold increase over 10 years is
25 controversial in the use of these meds with children,
288
1 correct?
2 A. Yes.
3 Q. Are you aware of a controversy in
4 psychiatry over the last decade or so -- and again,
5 these all cover the time period that Dan Markingson
6 was in the Cafe Study, right?
7 A. Uh-huh.
8 Q. All of the controversies we've discussed so
9 far cover those years.
10 A. Yes, uh-huh.
11 Q. Okay. Are you aware of a controversy with
12 regard to the widespread overuse of AD/HD medication
13 in children?
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14 A. Yes.
15 Q. And once again, this enormous percentage
16 increase in both the diagnosis and the use of
17 medicine for children having supposed AD/HD troubles,
18 right?
19 MS. AHMANN: Objection to form.
20 THE WITNESS: I don't -- I don't know
21 that the diagnosis of AD/HD has increased
22 dramatically, but, I mean, I had, in my training 25
23 years ago, I was aware that stimulants were much more
24 widely used in the Untied States than in, say,
25 Britain. And one, you know, one of my instructors
289
1 indicated he thought that it was an easy way out for
2 clinicians, pediatricians to prescribe a stimulant
3 when, in fact, maybe a different educational plan or
4 some behavioral intervention might be appropriate.
5 So I think that's an ongoing concern
6 about the appropriate use. On the other hand, there
7 are studies that show that stimulants are extremely
8 effective. And so I think it's a controversy that
9 exists in many areas of psychiatry. There seems to
10 be an underutilization of treatment in certain cases
11 and an overutilization. And trying to train people
12 to administer treatment appropriately is the --
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13 should be the goal.
14 BY DR. BARDEN:
15 Q. Are you aware -- you mentioned the
16 difference, for example, the use of these medications
17 with children in Europe. Are you aware of the
18 differences in the percentages of the -- standard
19 percentage of children in the population taking
20 stimulants for so-called AD/HD in the United States
21 versus those in Europe?
22 A. I don't know the specific figures, but I've
23 heard some information about that, and I'm sure it's
24 much higher in the U.S.
25 Q. Much higher as in stunningly higher,
290
1 correct?
2 MS. AHMANN: Objection to form.
3 THE WITNESS: It's higher.
4 MR. ALSOP: It's vague and ambiguous
5 and argumentative.
6 BY DR. BARDEN:
7 Q. So this is another controversy that is out
8 there in terms of whether medication should be used
9 in the percentages and the amounts that it's being
10 used, correct?
11 A. Yes.
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12 Q. All of these controversies, that is the
13 misreporting of depression medications that skews
14 results so that people think the meds are more
15 effective than they are, the controversy regarding
16 the enormous increase in use of medication for
17 bipolar illness in children, controversy regarding
18 the enormous increase in the use of stimulants in
19 children with AD/HD, all of these controversies have
20 to do with the question of whether drug companies are
21 influencing the field of psychiatry for their
22 enrichment; isn't that correct?
23 MS. AHMANN: Object to form.
24 MR. ALSOP: Object, as a misstatement
25 of the evidence, as to form and argumentative. Go
291
1 ahead, Doctor.
2 THE WITNESS: I think that that's a
3 part of that. I don't think that it's the only
4 concern or explanation for those changes -- those
5 things you mentioned.
6 BY DR. BARDEN:
7 Q. Hum. To clarify, I mean, these are complex
8 issues, but that certainly is an issue, a theme that
9 goes throughout these various controversies, isn't
10 it?
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11 MR. ALSOP: Same objection. Also
12 vague.
13 MS. AHMANN: Join.
14 MR. HUTCHINSON: Join.
15 THE WITNESS: It could be.
16 BY DR. BARDEN:
17 Q. How about the controversy with regard to
18 misreporting of the treatment effectiveness of the
19 new antipsychotics, which are very expensive, versus
20 the old antipsychotics which are not very expensive?
21 Are you aware of any controversy regarding that?
22 A. Absolutely. I'm an investigator for the
23 Cady Study which investigated that issue.
24 Q. And what did the Cady Study find?
25 A. That the newer antipsychotics were, if
292
1 better, only incrementally better than a first
2 generation antipsychotic if it was prescribed at a
3 very modest dosage for the treatment of
4 schizophrenia.
5 Q. And how much more expensive were the new
6 antipsychotics than the old ones?
7 A. They varied depending on the drug, but
8 probably roughly 10-fold.
9 Q. Ten-fold.
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10 A. Five to 10-fold. Five to 15-fold, maybe.
11 Q. And so are you aware of any legal actions
12 brought by states to recover the difference in money
13 expended for new antipsychotics versus old ones?
14 A. No.
15 Q. Are you aware of any claims that tens of
16 billions of dollars have been wasted using the new
17 drugs versus the old ones in terms of Medicaid and
18 Medicare programs?
19 MS. AHMANN: Object to form.
20 THE WITNESS: Am I aware of claims --
21 no, I'm not aware of any claims.
22 BY DR. BARDEN:
23 Q. You haven't seen any controversies with
24 regard to the fact that it took so long to do the
25 Cady Study that, in fact, for years states were
293
1 paying out these enormously increased expenses for
2 the newer drugs when they could have been using the
3 older, less expensive ones all along? Are you aware
4 of that particular controversy?
5 MS. AHMANN: Object to form.
6 MR. ALSOP: I'll join.
7 MR. HUTCHINSON: Join.
8 THE WITNESS: No, I'm not aware of a
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9 claim that this should have been evident from the
10 beginning. I disagree with that claim. I think that
11 there are advantages. The Cady Study isn't a
12 definitive study, and there are considerations that,
13 far beyond cost, that need to be taken into account.
14 But I'm -- I've heard of possible efforts of Medicaid
15 and pharmacy benefit managers to mandate the use of
16 older first generation antipsychotics over the newer
17 drugs currently, but not --
18 BY DR. BARDEN:
19 Q. But not previously.
20 A. Yeah.
21 Q. Uh-huh. Have you ever heard of experiment
22 of nature? It's a standard phrase in the science
23 field, isn't it?
24 A. Yeah. I think it would be an event that
25 occurs through some random occurrence in nature that
294
1 provides an insight into -- it's like a mini
2 randomized trial. Two twins, one falls out of a tree
3 and hits his head, has a concussion, and you find out
4 15 years down the line that that kid develops
5 schizophrenia, let's say.
6 Q. Right. So we've been going through a list
7 of controversies with regard to the use of
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8 medications and whether research has skewed and
9 misreported to enrich drug companies. Isn't it, in
10 fact, the case that Dan Markingson's case is an
11 experiment of nature that exposes the fatal flaw in
12 the pill counting type methodology used in the Cafe
13 Study and, in fact, shows such studies to be yet
14 another example of the misreporting of scientific
15 information for the enrichment of drug companies?
16 A. No.
17 MR. ALSOP: Object as argumentative,
18 multiple question and form.
19 MS. AHMANN: Join.
20 MR. HUTCHINSON: Join. Lacking
21 foundation.
22 BY DR. BARDEN:
23 Q. When you were engaged in the Cafe Study --
24 A. You want an answer or do you just want to
25 ask a question and have it objected to?
295
1 Q. Go ahead. I'd like you to answer.
2 A. No.
3 Q. Okay. When you were working on -- and I
4 thought you did that. Sorry. I was so sure you had.
5 I actually thought you'd answered.
6 When you were working on the Cafe Study,
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7 did you ever consider including a blood test on a
8 randomly selected sample of your subjects to ensure
9 that the subjects were actually taking the medication
10 that they were prescribed?
11 A. No.
12 Q. Did you ever -- well, first of all, do you
13 know about the psychology department at the
14 University of Minnesota?
15 A. Yes.
16 Q. It's a fairly highly ranked department?
17 A. Yes.
18 Q. Do you know how highly ranked? Do you have
19 any idea?
20 A. I would believe it's in the top 10, but I
21 don't know that for a fact.
22 Q. Okay. Did you ever consider consulting
23 with a psychological expert on methodology?
24 A. No, I wasn't involved in the design of the
25 Cafe Study.
296
1 Q. Did you ever report any concerns with the
2 so-called pill counting methodology, that it would be
3 highly unreliable with mental patients?
4 A. No.
5 Q. Okay. When did you first find out that Dan
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5 fluid. So I don't know for a fact that he wasn't
6 taking his medication and that perhaps the specimen
7 was -- the assay isn't valid. So --
8 BY DR. BARDEN:
9 Q. But the only evidence that we actually have
10 of his blood indicates that he was taking nothing,
11 correct?
12 A. He was taking not enough to be detected
13 with that test.
14 Q. Uh-huh. So then based upon the results of
15 that experiment of nature, what percentage of your
16 other subjects --
17 MR. HUTCHINSON: Object to form as
18 argumentative.
19 BY DR. BARDEN:
20 Q. What percentage of --
21 A. I --
22 MR. ALSOP: Well, wait, wait, wait,
23 wait. He hasn't -- wait until he asks a question.
24 THE WITNESS: Okay.
25 BY DR. BARDEN:
298
1 Q. What percentage of your other subjects in
2 the Cafe Study were also not taking their medication?
3 MR. ALSOP: Object as irrelevant and
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4 speculative, but go ahead.
5 MS. AHMANN: Join.
6 MR. HUTCHINSON: Lacking foundation.
7 THE WITNESS: I disagree with your
8 statement that this was an experiment of nature, and
9 I don't know how many other of the subjects were
10 actually taking their medication, just as I don't
11 know how many of my patients are actually taking the
12 medication.
13 BY DR. BARDEN:
14 Q. Uh-huh. Why don't you consider this to be
15 an experiment of nature? What's your reasoning for
16 saying that?
17 A. Well, it didn't fit into what I considered
18 an experiment of nature as I defined it, an
19 occurrence that would give some insight, for example,
20 my example of twins, one has a head injury and one
21 doesn't.
22 Q. Yeah. Dan Markingson's death forced a
23 blood test showing that your pill counting
24 methodology is not reliable. Isn't that a classic
25 textbook experiment of nature?
299
1 MR. ALSOP: That is argumentative,
2 irrelevant. Object to form.
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3 THE WITNESS: I don't know.
4 MS. AHMANN: Join.
5 MR. HUTCHINSON: Join.
6 BY DR. BARDEN:
7 Q. So as someone who is responsible for the
8 lives of patients in this type of research, when you
9 found out that the blood test indicated that Dan
10 Markingson was not taking any medication, what steps
11 did you take to determine the reliability of the
12 blood test used in the autopsy?
13 MS. AHMANN: I'm going to object to
14 form, lack of foundation.
15 MR. HUTCHINSON: I'll join.
16 THE WITNESS: I didn't -- I didn't
17 take any steps.
18 BY DR. BARDEN:
19 Q. Okay. And you're still using the so-called
20 pill counting methodology in research, isn't that
21 correct?
22 A. In some of our studies, yes.
23 Q. And in those pill counting studies, you're
24 not taking random blood tests to ascertain whether
25 people really are taking the medication or not.
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1 You're not doing that, are you?
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2 A. Well, some studies do include pharmokinetic
3 studies and some may include assays that do measure
4 the blood levels, but they're not provided to the
5 investigator. That's part of the protocol. It's
6 just their genetic analyses and their other, maybe
7 other aspects that aren't --
8 Q. So there are protocols that use blood
9 testing.
10 A. Yes.
11 Q. So if someone had claimed that it would be
12 unethical to have a protocol with blood testing,
13 that's absurd, correct?
14 MS. AHMANN: I'll object to form.
15 MR. ALSOP: I'll join.
16 MR. HUTCHINSON: Join.
17 THE WITNESS: No, I don't think it
18 would have been unethical.
19 BY DR. BARDEN:
20 Q. Okay.
21 A. It's not standard practice.
22 Q. Not -- well, isn't that the problem? Isn't
23 the standard practice in AD/HD research and bipolar
24 research and misreporting of antidepressant research
25 and in so-called pill counting methodology of the
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1 antipsychotic, it's the methodology to enrich the
2 drug companies by not finding negative results?
3 Isn't that the problem, Doctor?
4 A. No.
5 MR. ALSOP: It's a multiple question,
6 vague and ambiguous and irrelevant.
7 MS. AHMANN: Join.
8 (WHEREUPON, Deposition
9 Exhibit No. 35 was marked for
10 identification by the Reporter.)
11 DR. BARDEN: How much do we have?
12 VIDEOGRAPHER: Thirty-four minutes.
13 BY DR. BARDEN:
14 Q. This is Exhibit 35. Okay. Okay. For the
15 record, I'm handing Dr. Olson what's marked as
16 Exhibit No. 35. It's the amended videotape
17 deposition of Dr. Steven Olson. Do you recall
18 receiving that, Doctor? Have you ever seen that
19 before?
20 A. Yes. Uh-huh.
21 Q. Okay. If you could just look on page 2
22 there. If we could look on it together.
23 A. I'm looking at it.
24 Q. All right. See where it says I'm going to
25 take this deposition on Friday January 18th? That's
302
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1 today, correct?
2 A. Uh-huh.
3 Q. Commencing at 11 a.m., and that's about
4 when we started, isn't it, 11 a.m.?
5 A. Yes. It says 2007, but I assume that's
6 a --
7 Q. Okay. That's -- and to bring with you for
8 inspection and copying a complete copy of the medical
9 record file on plaintiff Dan Markingson from the
10 University of Minnesota. Is that what that says?
11 A. Yes, uh-huh.
12 Q. Just a straight forward question, did you
13 bring any records with you today?
14 A. No.
15 Q. Okay. Now, last time I had talked to you,
16 we discussed what you had done to prepare for the
17 deposition. Have you done anything since then to
18 prepare for part two of the deposition?
19 A. I reviewed the transcript of the previous
20 deposition in the last week or so.
21 Q. Okay. In the last week? The last day or
22 two, or week ago or when do you think you did that?
23 Again, I'll never ask you for any conversations with
24 your lawyers, but I can certainly ask you about --
25 A. Within the past week.
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303
1 Q. Okay. How much money -- what's the total
2 amount of money that you've received from all drug
3 companies in the year 2007?
4 A. I don't know.
5 Q. As you sit there now, as a tax paying
6 citizen -- I take it you pay taxes, do you not?
7 A. I do.
8 Q. And you filed a tax return?
9 MR. ALSOP: For 2007?
10 BY DR. BARDEN:
11 Q. Have you filed an estimated payment for
12 2007? On January 15th did you -- have you not been
13 filing estimated payments throughout the year or not?
14 A. Yes.
15 Q. Okay. And based upon your knowledge of
16 your own personal finances, I'm asking you how much
17 money have you received from drug companies in fiscal
18 year 2007?
19 MR. ALSOP: Object, it's repetitious,
20 asked and answered and speculative. Go ahead,
21 Doctor.
22 DR. BARDEN: I'm just going to object
23 for the record to a lawyer who claims that a person
24 knowing their own financial status is "speculative."
25 BY DR. BARDEN:
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304
1 Q. And now we'll go on with your answer,
2 please.
3 A. For all of 2007, probably $20,000.
4 Q. Okay. And how about for 2008, given that
5 we're just in the first month of that year?
6 A. Zero.
7 Q. Okay. And then how about in 2006?
8 A. Probably around $20,000.
9 Q. Okay. Are you aware of any media reports
10 indicating that you have received quite a bit more
11 than that?
12 A. Yes.
13 Q. And what is that media report?
14 A. Well, that's a Web site, I believe St. Paul
15 Pioneer Press got that shows payments from several
16 drug companies, including $149,000 payment from
17 Astrazeneca in 2006.
18 Q. Uh-huh. And it's your claim that that's
19 not accurate.
20 A. No, my claim is that that's payment for a
21 research study that went through the University, as
22 all payments for research do. It's not a payment to
23 me. It's not income that's reportable on my personal
24 tax return.
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25 Q. Okay. So this was a study that you brought
305
1 in -- these are funds that you brought in to the
2 University?
3 A. Uh-huh.
4 Q. Okay. And it's your testimony that that
5 did not affect your salary at all.
6 MR. ALSOP: That's argumentative and
7 a misstatement of his testimony.
8 MS. AHMANN: Join.
9 THE WITNESS: That's correct.
10 BY DR. BARDEN:
11 Q. So there's no increase in your salary if
12 you bring in millions of dollars of research, for
13 example. That's your understanding of how the system
14 works.
15 MS. AHMANN: Object to form.
16 MR. ALSOP: I'll join.
17 THE WITNESS: It's an irrelevant
18 question, because I don't bring in millions of
19 dollars of research. So --
20 BY DR. BARDEN:
21 Q. Well, I'm interested in your understanding
22 of the process of how the academic research process
23 works, Dr. Olson. Is it your understanding that your
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24 personal salary is not related at all to the amount
25 of money you bring in in research?
306
1 MR. ALSOP: Object on the basis of
2 foundation. Go ahead. You can answer.
3 MS. AHMANN: I'm going to join as to
4 form.
5 MR. HUTCHINSON: Same.
6 THE WITNESS: Basically, I'm paid a
7 salary, and it is not affected by my research. If I
8 were to bring in millions of dollars of research, I
9 suspect that I should ask for a bigger raise than I
10 generally get. So that's my answer.
11 BY DR. BARDEN:
12 Q. So it's your belief that at your level of
13 research, that is, the kind of research you bring in,
14 that you believe there is no relationship between
15 your personal income and the amount of research money
16 you bring in to the University. Is that your
17 testimony under oath?
18 A. Yes. Uh-huh.
19 Q. Okay. Has your personal income from the
20 University changed over the last five years?
21 A. Yes.
22 Q. And has it gone up?
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23 A. Yes.
24 Q. What are those numbers beginning in, say,
25 let's start during the time Dan was in treatment, a
307
1 little before, starting with 2001?
2 MR. ALSOP: You don't have to answer
3 any questions about your income from the University
4 of Minnesota. It's privileged. He's not going to
5 answer those questions.
6 MR. HUTCHINSON: Join on grounds of
7 relevance.
8 DR. BARDEN: I understand that that's
9 your objection. I think that objection is obviously
10 wrong. This witness has just testified as to a very
11 unique and unusual belief that his personal income is
12 not related to the research money that he brings in,
13 and I think that his -- it's very likely that his
14 personal income data will show that that testimony is
15 not accurate.
16 So I think as part of
17 cross-examination, we're certainly entitled to those
18 data. If he wants to get a confidentiality order or
19 something of that effect, I'd be happy to go along
20 with that. I'm not interested in anyone else finding
21 out how much money he's made from the University over
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22 those years, but we certainly would like to
23 investigate whether there is a relationship between
24 him bringing in money and the personal income he
25 receives from the University, since that is typically
308
1 and commonly expected in every other university I'm
2 aware of on the planet Earth. So that would be our
3 argument.
4 If you want to block him from
5 answering that, it may necessitate a motion and us
6 reconvening again in the future, but that's up to
7 you.
8 MR. ALSOP: I disagree with
9 everything you said in its entirety. His personal
10 income, salary, is not relevant, it's privileged, and
11 he's not going to answer those questions. He's
12 answered questions about income from drug companies
13 and everything else, but to talk about his salary
14 with the University is absolutely irrelevant and
15 privileged and he's not going to answer those
16 questions.
17 DR. BARDEN: Okay. Can you please
18 cite for me the case law that you believe gives you
19 that so-called privilege?
20 MR. ALSOP: I'm not going to cite you
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21 any case law. That's my position. Proceed.
22 MR. HUTCHINSON: I'll join in that.
23 DR. BARDEN: What is your legal basis
24 of privilege? I'm aware of attorney-client
25 privilege.
309
1 MR. ALSOP: I am done with my
2 objection, sir. Move on. Make your motion if you
3 think I'm wrong.
4 DR. BARDEN: I'm not done. I'm
5 certainly aware of the attorney-client privilege, I'm
6 certainly aware --
7 THE WITNESS: Can I confer with my
8 attorney?
9 MR. ALSOP: No, no, no, no, no. Let
10 him make his statement.
11 DR. BARDEN: I'm certainly aware of
12 the Fifth Amendment privilege. I'm not aware of the
13 income privilege. And if you could give me a good
14 faith legal citation on that or your good faith
15 statement on the record that you have seen such a
16 case that would justify such a privilege, I would be
17 happy to -- I would be happy to honor that. But if
18 it's just your personal opinion and you just don't
19 like the question, then I'm going to have to ask him
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20 to answer it.
21 MR. ALSOP: Well, he's not going to
22 answer the question. You can make your motion. It's
23 privileged.
24 DR. BARDEN: Okay.
25 MR. HUTCHINSON: And I object on
310
1 grounds of relevance, materiality. It's designed to
2 get information to support a claim for punitive
3 damages that are clearly not allowed by statute, and
4 this is not reasonably calculated to lead to the
5 discovery of admissible evidence. It's harassment,
6 it's badgering and I object.
7 DR. BARDEN: Okay. And we would
8 argue for the record that it's just standard
9 cross-examination and it goes directly to the
10 testimony that he just offered under oath.
11 MR. HUTCHINSON: I've never heard
12 this type of cross-examination in 30 years.
13 MR. ALSOP: I have not either.
14 MR. HUTCHINSON: It's not standard in
15 any case I've ever been in.
16 DR. BARDEN: And I've practiced in --
17 MR. HUTCHINSON: Nor on the comments
18 by Plaintiff's lawyer about characterizing the answer
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19 or the objection.
20 DR. BARDEN: And once again, that's
21 not a legal objection, sir.
22 MR. ALSOP: And yours was? And yours
23 was?
24 DR. BARDEN: We're putting arguments
25 on the record about a claim of privilege which is an
311
1 extremely unusual act for a lawyer.
2 MR. ALSOP: I disagree with you.
3 BY DR. BARDEN:
4 Q. Okay. So your lawyer has instructed you
5 not to answer. Are you going to follow those
6 instructions?
7 A. Sure.
8 Q. Okay. Have you hired a personal attorney
9 in this matter?
10 A. No.
11 Q. Did you ever sign a cross indemnification
12 agreement in this matter?
13 A. I don't think so.
14 Q. You're not aware of any cross
15 indemnification agreement?
16 MS. AHMANN: Asked and answered.
17 THE WITNESS: I don't know what that
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18 is, so I guess I don't.
19 BY DR. BARDEN:
20 Q. Are you aware of any cross indemnification
21 agreement having to do with any of the entities
22 participating in the Cafe Study?
23 A. No.
24 Q. Have you ever -- did you read the contract
25 you entered into with regard to the Cafe Study?
312
1 MS. AHMANN: I'm going to object to
2 form and vague.
3 MR. ALSOP: I'll join. Go ahead.
4 BY DR. BARDEN:
5 Q. Let me back up. We'll make that clear for
6 the record. How many contracts did you sign with
7 regard to the Cafe Study?
8 A. I don't know.
9 Q. Do you have any idea at all?
10 A. I would say one, and I may --
11 Q. What was that one?
12 A. At the beginning of the study, the sponsor
13 and the university arrive at an agreement and they
14 usually, the principal investigator will sign that,
15 and I may have -- I'm sure I looked at the document
16 in a general sense, but I rely on the university's
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17 contract office to look at the details, and they're
18 usually the ones that clear any indemnification and
19 liability and confidentiality issues. So --
20 Q. I just want to make this clear for the
21 record. As a licensed physician practicing in the
22 State of Minnesota, did you read the contract that
23 you signed for the Cafe Study?
24 A. Yes.
25 Q. Okay. We talked to Dr. Schulz earlier and
313
1 he was discussing when he met with you and Ms. Kenney
2 to discuss Mary Weiss' letter. Do you recall such a
3 meeting?
4 A. Her letter of March '04 to Dr. Schulz?
5 Q. The letter that was certified to Dr.
6 Schulz. He claims he only got one letter, so that's
7 the one we're talking about is the certified letter.
8 A. Okay.
9 Q. Did you meet with Dr. --
10 A. Yes.
11 Q. -- Schulz?
12 A. Yes.
13 Q. How many times did you meet with Dr. Schulz
14 with regard to Dan Markingson's case?
15 A. I don't recall. I recall that meeting and
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16 subsequent discussions about the content of the
17 letter, he gave me a copy or a draft, and I made some
18 comments on it. Probably discussed it with him.
19 Q. Okay. And you discussed it with Ms.
20 Kenney, too?
21 A. Oh, yes. Sure.
22 Q. So -- and then there were subsequent
23 discussions? How many?
24 A. I can't quantify discussions with Jean
25 Kenney. We were working together on a daily basis on
314
1 the study on --
2 Q. I'm sorry. I should have clarified, then.
3 How many discussions with Dr. Schulz?
4 A. I don't -- I don't recall. I don't recall
5 any specific extended formal meetings. We may have
6 discussed briefly whether there was any, you know,
7 followup in the context of other meetings that I may
8 have had with him, but I don't recall any details.
9 Q. Did you ever inform -- do you recall
10 informing Dr. Schulz that during the time he was in
11 the Cafe Study, Dan Markingson was under a stay of
12 commitment order?
13 A. I don't recall specifically if we discussed
14 that.
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15 Q. Do you recall ever discussing with Dr.
16 Schulz that Mary Weiss was concerned that Dan
17 Markingson might become violent?
18 A. Well, I think that was part of the
19 discussion in response to her letter.
20 Q. What did you discuss with Dr. Schulz with
21 regard to her concerns that Dan might become violent?
22 A. I can't recall any specific details of the
23 conversation, but the discussion was -- I'm sure it
24 evolved around the degree of concern that she had
25 balanced against the observations that we had made in
315
1 his visits at the university and the reports that we
2 were getting from everybody else that was seeing him.
3 Q. Did Dr. --
4 A. And that they didn't jibe.
5 Q. At anytime, did Dr. Schulz instruct you or
6 advise you to inform the IRB of Mary Weiss'
7 complaints?
8 A. No.
9 Q. And you did not inform the IRB of Mary
10 Weiss' complaints, correct?
11 A. No.
12 Q. Are you aware -- well, let me ask you this:
13 How many other studies are you participating in
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14 currently at the university? I'm just looking for
15 the number.
16 A. Eight, roughly. Give or take.
17 Q. And how many have you participated in
18 totally since 2000, say 2000? Just looking for the
19 number.
20 A. Twenty.
21 Q. And what's the total number of subjects in
22 all of those 20? And again, I'm just looking for a
23 ballpark figure.
24 MR. ALSOP: Object as speculative
25 lacking foundation. If you know, go ahead.
316
1 THE WITNESS: I wouldn't know. Some
2 of them I participated in were studies that I was a
3 co-investigator and so I'm not completely aware of
4 what -- the number of subjects that were, you know,
5 finally recruited. If you limit it to clinical
6 trials that I was the principal investigator for,
7 like the Cafe, my guess is somewhere around 100.
8 BY DR. BARDEN:
9 Q. But if you look at all of the 20, it would
10 be multiple hundreds of subjects.
11 A. Because some of the studies are something
12 like a questionnaire study or a --
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13 Q. Sure.
14 A. -- or a registry might have, you know, a
15 hundred people, but all we have is contact
16 information or --
17 Q. Okay.
18 A. -- I might have participated in a study
19 that recruited 150 people for brain imaging.
20 Q. Okay. So of the Cafe type study, you think
21 there would be somewhere around 100 subjects.
22 A. Yeah.
23 Q. Were there any -- again, I'm not looking
24 for the names of any other patients. How many of
25 those other subjects were under a court order or a
317
1 stayed commitment during the time they were in the
2 research study?
3 A. I think there was -- I think there was at
4 least one.
5 Q. You think there was at least one. Okay.
6 And what year would that person have been court
7 ordered?
8 A. I don't know. Somewhere between 2004 and
9 2006.
10 Q. Was that during the time that Dan
11 Markingson was also under court order? Was it before
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12 that or after that?
13 A. I don't recall.
14 Q. Pardon?
15 A. I don't recall.
16 Q. Okay. Was there a study -- was there a
17 subject other than Dan Markingson who you tried to --
18 who you presented evidence to get them committed or
19 stayed for commitment twice? Anyone other than Dan
20 Markingson?
21 A. I don't recall.
22 Q. Was that other subject, the one that was in
23 a stay of commitment, was that also in one of your
24 studies or was that in someone else's study?
25 A. No, that was in one of my studies.
318
1 Q. Did you also obtain an informed consent
2 from that subject or have Ms. Kenney do it, or did
3 someone else obtain the informed consent?
4 A. I don't recall.
5 Q. Was the other person that was court
6 ordered, were they court ordered to comply with your
7 treatment team's recommendation for treatment?
8 A. I don't know what the -- I don't know what
9 the conditions were.
10 Q. For the other person that was court
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11 ordered, did you participate as a witness, that is,
12 someone who filed a witness statement with the court
13 to obtain the court order for that person?
14 A. Not that I recall.
15 DR. BARDEN: How much time do I have
16 left?
17 VIDEOGRAPHER: Fourteen minutes.
18 (A brief recess took place.)
19 BY DR. BARDEN:
20 Q. Let me ask you a couple questions.
21 DR. BARDEN: Tell you what, why don't
22 we go off the record for just a few minutes. I want
23 to look through my file. We have 14 minutes.
24 VIDEOGRAPHER: We are off the video
25 record.
319
1 MR. ALSOP: We can stay off the
2 video, but for the record, if you want to ask Dr.
3 Olson what his percentage raises have been in the
4 last five or six years on a percentage basis, you can
5 do that. But he's not going to give numbers.
6 VIDEOGRAPHER: We're now on the video
7 record.
8 DR. BARDEN: Okay. Dr. Olson's
9 attorney informed us that we can ask the percentage
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10 increases in salary over those years. It's still our
11 position that we're entitled to the actual dollar
12 numbers.
13 BY DR. BARDEN:
14 Q. But can you give us the percentage
15 increases from, say, 2002 to the present?
16 A. Once a year, the university salaries are
17 increased within a certain range and over that period
18 of time, my raises have been in the range of zero to
19 four percent.
20 Q. Okay. Zero to four percent. All right.
21 And the money you receive from drug companies, how
22 has that come up, or how did that change from 2002
23 through today, year by year?
24 A. I don't have figures for 2002. I had just
25 arrived at the university, so I probably had zero.
320
1 Q. Okay. 2003? Sorry. We're on a short
2 clock here. 2003?
3 A. I don't know specific figures.
4 Q. 2004? This is your income, correct?
5 A. No. This is the revenue from studies.
6 Q. Oh, I'm sorry. Let me clarify. I'm
7 talking about all the money you've received from drug
8 companies personally. You mentioned 20,000.
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9 MR. ALSOP: Directly versus through
10 the studies.
11 BY DR. BARDEN:
12 Q. Directly to you from drug companies.
13 A. It's roughly $20,000 a year.
14 Q. Every year, year in, year out since 2002?
15 A. Yeah, probably.
16 Q. That's for speaking and that's for
17 consulting. What else is that for?
18 A. That's pretty much it, yeah.
19 Q. Okay. 20,000 a year.
20 A. Uh-huh.
21 Q. Any other sources of income, other than
22 your 20,000 plus your university salary?
23 THE WITNESS: Do I have to answer
24 that?
25 MR. ALSOP: Well, I mean, if it's
321
1 drug -- related to drug companies. If it's
2 investments you've made or something, you don't have
3 to answer that question.
4 THE WITNESS: No, it's not related to
5 drug companies. I consult for the Hennepin County
6 Mental Health Center and go see people in crisis and
7 get paid for that. Is that -- you want to know that?
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8 BY DR. BARDEN:
9 Q. Anything else? Sure. That's fair.
10 A. No.
11 Q. Okay. I'm going to ask you some quotes and
12 I would like to know if you agree or disagree with
13 these statements. "Knowledge of patient preferences
14 is essential to good clinical care, since the
15 patient's cooperation and satisfaction reflect the
16 degree to which medical intervention fulfills the
17 patient's choices, values and needs." Do you agree
18 with that?
19 A. I agree with that in a general sense.
20 Q. Next, "Patient preferences are legally
21 significant, because the American legal system
22 considers the patient-physician relationship to be a
23 fiduciary relationship in which the fiduciary, such
24 as the physician, has an obligation to promote the
25 best interest of persons who have entrusted
322
1 themselves to the physician's care." Do you agree
2 with that?
3 MR. ALSOP: Object to as vague and
4 ambiguous, calls for a legal conclusion. Go ahead.
5 MS. AHMANN: Join.
6 THE WITNESS: I don't know. I'd have
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7 to see that in context. I'm not sure if these are
8 rules or guidelines. I don't think -- I don't like
9 to characterize physician relationships as a purely
10 fiduciary one, certainly, so I disagree with that
11 part.
12 BY DR. BARDEN:
13 Q. You're licensed in the State of Minnesota,
14 correct?
15 A. Yes, you know that.
16 Q. You are required by the State of Minnesota
17 to understand some legal rules and restrictions,
18 aren't you?
19 MR. ALSOP: Object on basis of
20 foundation, calls for a legal conclusion. Go ahead,
21 if you know.
22 THE WITNESS: I don't know what
23 medical license requires of me in terms of knowledge
24 of legal terms, no.
25 BY DR. BARDEN:
323
1 Q. Does your license require you to understand
2 informed consent, for example?
3 MR. ALSOP: Same objection,
4 foundation of what the state requires.
5 THE WITNESS: In a general sense,
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6 yes.
7 BY DR. BARDEN:
8 Q. Yes. That's a medical and a legal term,
9 isn't it?
10 A. Yes.
11 Q. Yeah. Quote -- I'll ask you if you agree
12 or disagree with this. "Above all, fiduciaries must
13 avoid financial conflicts of interest that could
14 prejudice their client's interest."
15 MR. ALSOP: Same objection. Go
16 ahead, you can answer.
17 MS. AHMANN: Same.
18 MR. HUTCHINSON: Join.
19 BY DR. BARDEN:
20 Q. Do you agree with that or not?
21 A. Well, in a -- in a general sense, yes. I
22 think physicians have to be clear --
23 Q. Okay.
24 A. -- and aware of the --
25 Q. Well, we're --
324
1 MR. ALSOP: Let him finish his
2 answer.
3 DR. BARDEN: These are yes or no
4 questions.
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5 MR. ALSOP: No, they're not.
6 DR. BARDEN: Our time will be
7 extended based on that.
8 MR. ALSOP: No, it won't.
9 DR. BARDEN: He will not answer a
10 totally irrelevant question and take up our time.
11 MR. ALSOP: He's answering a
12 question.
13 DR. BARDEN: Just agree or disagree.
14 MR. ALSOP: He maybe can't.
15 THE WITNESS: Then I'll say I don't
16 know.
17 MR. ALSOP: That's fine.
18 BY DR. BARDEN:
19 Q. The next one is, "Informed consent is
20 defined as the willing acceptance of a medical
21 intervention by a patient after adequate disclosure
22 by the physician of the nature of the intervention,
23 its risks and benefits, as well as of alternatives
24 with their risks and benefits." Do you agree with
25 that?
325
1 MS. AHMANN: Same objections.
2 THE WITNESS: In general, yes.
3 BY DR. BARDEN:
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4 Q. "If patient preferences are ignored or
5 devalued, patients are likely to distrust and perhaps
6 disregard physician's recommendations." Do you agree
7 with that?
8 A. No.
9 Q. "It is clearly unethical to do anything to
10 a patient that will not benefit and may even harm the
11 patient in order to benefit the physician or some
12 other party." Do you agree with that?
13 A. In general, yes.
14 Q. "In order for patients to be allowed to
15 make reasonable choices, they must be provided with
16 adequate and truthful information. This includes
17 disclosure about a physician's financial incentives
18 that could influence the recommendations the
19 physician makes to the patient." Do you agree with
20 that?
21 A. In general. I don't think it's relevant to
22 this case, but --
23 Q. What is your contract at the U? Is it year
24 by year or how many years is it?
25 A. It's year by year.
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1 Q. It's year by year. And what are the bases
2 upon which you are evaluated and who does the
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3 evaluating?
4 A. The basis is on, I guess, meeting the goals
5 of the department, the specific tasks that I'm
6 assigned to do. That includes quality of care of
7 patients, my teaching of residents and medical
8 students, my participation in departmental university
9 activities, outreach to the community, as well as the
10 -- advancing the research in the department. So
11 multifactorial, like any job at this level, and
12 ultimately Dr. Schulz is the one who makes that
13 decision. And I would assume that he takes a number
14 of factors into account when he makes that decision
15 so whether it's going to be a one or a three percent
16 raise.
17 Q. So part of your evaluation in terms of
18 keeping your job is participating in and assisting
19 the University in its goal of doing research,
20 correct?
21 MR. ALSOP: It's a misstatement.
22 Object to form. Go ahead, you can answer.
23 THE WITNESS: Currently, yes, that
24 currently is part of my job expectation.
25 DR. BARDEN: How much time do I have
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2 VIDEOGRAPHER: Six minutes.
3 DR. BARDEN: I don't think I have
4 anything more at this time. Thank you.
5 MR. ALSOP: We'll read and sign.
6 MR. HUTCHINSON: I have no questions.
7 MR. ALSOP: No questions.
8 MS. AHMANN: No questions.
9 VIDEOGRAPHER: We are now off the
10 video record. The time is 12:11 p.m.
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1 STATE OF MINNESOTA )
2 COUNTY OF BLUE EARTH)
3 BE IT KNOWN that, I took the foregoing deposition
4 of STEPHEN OLSON, M.D., pursuant to Notice;
5 That I was then and there a notary public in and
6 for the County of Blue Earth, State of Minnesota;
7 That said witness before testifying was duly
8 sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
9 but the truth relative to the cause specified in the
10 Notice;
11 That the witness did not waive the reading and
12 signing of said deposition;
13 That I am neither attorney nor counsel for, not
14 related to or employed by any of the parties to the
15 action in which this deposition is taken and,
16 further, that I am not a relative or employee of any
17 attorney or counsel employed by the parties hereto or
18 financially interested in the action;
19 That the testimony was taken down in stenotype by
20 me; then reduced to typewriting under my direction by
21 means of computer-aided transcription, and is a true
22 and correct transcript of my stenotype notes.
23 Witness my hand and seal this 25th day of
24 January, 2008. ______________________