Doctor vs. doctor

Dr. Jason Toranto a pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgeon, has filed suit in federal court against another doctor, Rady Children's Hospital, and the University of California, Irvine, for trying to ruin his career.

Toranto claims that a competing plastic surgeon, Dr. Daniel Jaffurs, has tried to ruin his reputation.

Toranto says Jaffurs has "a checkered professional record [of]…maligning and undermining the careers of surgeons he does not like."

Toranto is suing Jaffurs for monopoly, bad-faith professional review, retaliation, defamation, interference with prospective economic advantage, unfair competition, conspiracy in restraint of trade, and other transgressions.

Toranto says Jaffurs made defamatory statements that destroyed Toranto's career at the University of California School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Orange County. Then, Toranto came to San Diego, and Jaffurs and colleagues did the same at Rady's Children's Hospital. A major reason for defaming Toranto was to maintain a monopoly over the field, according to the suit.

Jaffurs referred me to the UC-Irvine legal department, which did not respond to queries. Rady's Children's Hospital said it would not respond to questions about ongoing litigation.