Taking His Medicine

Troubled hand surgeon Michael Brown pursues custody of his two children

Comments (0) By Craig Malisow Thursday, Feb 3 2005

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Because Mayes had ordered the attorneys not to mention any events prior to November 2001, the jury did not hear about the night Brown beat Darlina with the bedpost. They did not see the video of him putting the gun to his head.

Brown says he will appeal the jury's decision, although he has problems beyond the disputed custody of the children.

Deron Neblett

Darlina Brown (shown with her children in this 2002 photo) retains sole custody.

Brown's commercial tells viewers they'll be treated like family.

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In response to Brown's plea of no contest to the second-degree felony, the Medical Board of California suspended Brown's license to practice in that state. Board records show he ultimately surrendered that license.

The plea also prompted the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners to put him on probation in 2002 and order him to undergo periodic drug testing for a year.

The Texas board's records show that, in October 2002, an anonymous caller accused Brown of using masking agents to cover traces of cocaine in his urine. The board ordered Brown to provide a hair specimen, which tested positive for cocaine.

The records show that Brown challenged the results, saying that "any ingestion of this substance could only have been unknowingly." In a phone interview with the Houston Press, Brown said that the drug lab conducted a faulty test and that a judge found the test to show a false positive. The board's findings of fact stated in part that one hair specimen tested positive in 2002, but a urine specimen taken on the same day tested negative.

Documents provided by the board show that, after the series of disputed drug testing, the board revoked his license in late 2002 but issued a stay for ten years.