This is a story that hit me close to home. Please read it, and consider signing the petition at the bottom if you are in agreement that the sites that are out there allowing extremists to publicly badmouthing veterinarians should be illegalized. I think that these sites allows public defamation of character and slander. There are many cases of people being sued for their comments on Yelp, an online resource to rate businesses, for example. I think that groups like this should be held accountable, as well, for their comments. If you agree, think about signing the petition below it. The link is listed after the article.
New York veterinarian driven to suicide after cat custody battle ruins clinic
Dr. Shirley Koshi’s Bronx clinic, Gentle Hands, took in a stray named Karl. But Gwen Jurmark had fed Karl and other cats that lived in Raoul Wallenberg Park, and she sued the vet — and organized a protest against the clinic — to get Karl back. A clinic worker said the lawsuit, online attacks against the doctor and financial problems ‘drove [Koshi] over the edge.’
BY BARRY PADDOCK AND JOHN MARZULLI / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014, 2:30 AM
Dr. Shirley Koshi, a Bronx veterinarian, committed suicide after apparently being harassed about ‘veterinary abuse.’ A stray cat had been brought to the clinic, Gentle Hands, but a woman claiming to be the owner — she fed ‘Karl’ and other felines living in a park — sued to get the animal back.
A bitter stray cat custody battle between a Bronx veterinarian and an animal rescuer has ended in tragedy.
Dr. Shirley Koshi, 55, owner of Gentle Hands veterinary clinic in Riverdale, was found dead of an apparent suicide Feb. 16 in her Upper East Side apartment, an employee and acquaintances told the Daily News.
Koshi’s death, which is still under investigation by the NYPD and the city medical examiner, was the climax of a downward spiral that clinic technician Will Page said began with the filing of a lawsuit against her last fall in Bronx Civil Court.
Weeks after sickly Karl, pictured, was accepted and cared for by Gentle Hands veterinary clinic, Gwen Jurmark appeared ‘saying this was her cat that she “keeps” along with many others at Wallenberg Park,’ according to court documents.
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“Besides financial problems, the lawsuit drove her over the edge,” Page said.
Cat rescuer Gwen Jurmark sued Koshi because she said the vet refused to hand over a black-and-white cat named Karl. The sick feline was rescued in August 2013 from Raoul Wallenberg Park in the Bronx by a good Samaritan and turned over to Koshi.
JEFF GOULDING
Dr. Shirley Koshi’s funeral was held Saturday in Kingston at the Old Dutch Church. Koshi apparently committed suicide after a self-proclaimed cat owner sued the veterinarian and led a demonstration against her clinic.
“Ms. Gwen Jurmark appeared on the scene weeks after the cat improved saying this was her cat that she ‘keeps’ along with many others at Wallenberg park,” Koshi said in court papers. “Gwen Jurmark rescues cats … then drops them off in parks instead of finding homes for them.”
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Jurmark, 62, insisted she had a legitimate claim to Karl because she neutered him and oversaw his care for years in the park.
Veterinarian Shirley Koshi, owner of Gentle Hands Pet Clinic, pictured, was battling a cat rescuer for custody of a stray named Karl.
“I never uttered a bad word to her or about her in public,” Jurmark said. “I just wanted my cat back fair and square.”
The October lawsuit was followed by a demonstration outside Gentle Hands led by Jurmark and online attacks against Koshi, according to reports.
RELATED: SUBWAY KITTENS FIND HOME IN BROOKLYN
JEFF GOULDING
This caged bird is shown at the funeral for Dr. Shirley Koshi, who acquaintances say committed suicide after a lengthy and bitter fight over a stray cat.
“She was being harassed and vilified by various individuals, including the person who filed the complaint,” said Koshi’s lawyer John Sarcone.
Page said business at Gentle Hands, which Koshi opened last July, nosedived in the aftermath of the protest. Koshi told Page she’d exhausted her savings to keep the clinic running, and a flood last month damaged the office.
The vet appeared deeply depressed when she left the clinic Feb. 10, Page said. She failed to show up for work and Page tried to call her at her apartment. On Feb. 16, a cop answered her phone and said Koshi was dead.
Later, Page said a detective from the 19th Precinct told him Koshi died of an apparent overdose and left a note thanking her employees for their service. “She put in the note that she was sorry,” Page said.
In a bizarre twist, Jurmark reclaimed Karl from the Animal Care & Control Center after Koshi’s death.
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On the petition, it shows you the two sites that link to Twitter comments callously applauding this tragedy. It details many other posts of this nature, aimed at various other veterinarians. After reading just a few, I found them appalling.
Dr. Dawn
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