Judge orders new trial in case against former Shoreline pediatrician

King County Superior Court judge Paris Kallas ordered a new trial in a case against former Shoreline pediatrician Bill Schnall and the Richmond Beach Clinic on Friday, Sept. 12.

Schnall was accused of fostering inappropriate relationships with four males while they were his patients. Although Schnall was ordered to pay nearly $630,000 to three of the four plaintiffs at the conclusion of a six-week trial in July, he was not found to have communicated with the plaintiffs for an immoral purpose. The second ruling meant Schnall would not be responsible for paying approximately $2 million in plaintiffs’ attorney fees.

The recent ruling entitles plaintiffs to a new hearing and the right for plaintiffs’ recovery of attorneys’ fees.

Judge Kallas based her decision on jury misconduct, including a jury member who failed to disclose being named as a defendant in medical malpractice litigation as well as jurors who reportedly ignored instructions to refrain from reading or watching media about the case. Affidavits from jurors reported that a newspaper article about the case was brought into the deliberation room and read aloud.

“All victims of childhood sexual abuse deserve their day in court,” the plaintiffs’ attorney Anne Bremner said in a press release. “And that day must be fair. We commend the judge for her decision and applaud the jurors who had the courage to come forward and reveal the misconduct that took place during this trial.”

Schnall practiced medicine for nearly 30 years and was licensed as a physician and surgeon in the state since July 1973. He worked as a doctor at Richmond Pediatric Clinic in Shoreline prior to giving up his license in March 2005 following an investigation into allegations that he violated doctor-patient boundaries with several of his adolescent male patients. He currently works part-time as a special consultant in the clinic’s accounting department.

A date for a new trial has not been set.