Seth Langson’s career changed in the 1980s when a therapist he knew referred him a patient. A former psychiatrist at a leading medical center allegedly had sexually abused the woman. At the time, Seth’s practice was dedicated to representing plaintiffs in medical-malpractice and personal-injury cases, as well as claimants in Social Security disability claims.
The psychiatrist reportedly had sexual relations with the client nearly a decade before and had moved to Virginia. The woman took her complaint to many of North Carolina’s best-known lawyers and law firms, but none would take the case. They told her that the statute of limitations had run or that the case would be impossible to prove, given how old it was.
Seth was her last resort. He, too, saw the hurdles but also a solution. He thought he could advance a novel interpretation of existing law that would allow this important case to go forward against both the psychiatrist and the medical center. After obtaining voluminous medical records, hiring multiple expert witnesses, and making countless trips to Richmond, Va., and other parts of North Carolina, suit was filed.
Extensive depositions and discovery were then conducted, and Seth succeeded in getting the client’s case past the defendants’ efforts to throw the case out because of the statute of limitations. The case was then resolved to the client’s satisfaction.
This case generated so much publicity that shortly after the case concluded, Seth was contacted by the Geraldo Rivera Show to come to New York for an appearance. Seth first checked with his now former client to gauge her reaction to such an appearance. When she indicated that she would prefer that he not appear, Seth called the TV show back and declined their offer. The show producers tried to persuade Seth to appear and were astonished that an attorney would listen to the wishes of a client and pass up the opportunity for free publicity.
