Monday, January 26, 2009

A federal judge reduced the government's case against a Haysville doctor whose clinic has been linked to 59 overdose deaths.

U.S. District Judge Monti Belot ruled Monday that the trial for Dr. Stephen Schneider and his wife, Linda, will be limited to four deaths. He said that otherwise the trial will go on forever with no useful purpose.

The judge angrily rebuked prosecutor Tanya Treadway after she told him she would file an appeal that would delay the Feb. 2 trial for months.

Belot told her she had "better have your boss down here to talk about this." He said nobody threatens him in his courtroom.

Belot also is banning the use of inflammatory terms such as "pill mill" that the government has repeatedly used to describe the Schneider's clinic.