John Lawler inquest
inquest into the death of John Lawler
The John Lawler inquest was an inquest into the death of John Lawler in 2019. Lawler, an 80-year-old man, died following complications from a chiropractic treatment in York, England. He had sought relief for back pain at the clinic of chiropractor Arleen Scholten in August 2017, but during a spinal manipulation session, he suffered severe complications that led to his hospitalization and death the following day. A coroner's inquest was overseen by Jonathan Heath, which examined whether Scholten’s actions contributed to the fatal outcome. Although a connection between the treatment and Lawler’s death was identified, Scholten was not found criminally negligent. The case prompted the Judiciary of England and Wales to issue a prevention of future deaths report.
Background
John Lawler, aged 80, visited Arleen Scholten’s chiropractic clinic in York on August 11, 2017, for relief from chronic back pain. During the session, Scholten performed spinal manipulations, which soon caused Lawler to experience serious medical complications. He was subsequently hospitalized and died the next day. The 2019 inquest investigated whether Scholten’s treatment was appropriate for Lawler’s condition and if it directly caused his death.
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