PA Testified in High Profile Case

Recently, Physician Associate Eitan Negri took the stand as a fact witness to testify about his care of Lindsay Clancy—the defendant in a trial followed closely by thousands, if not millions, across the country. While I haven’t been live-streaming every second, a text from a malpractice lawyer friend tipped me off that a PA was testifying, and I had to tune in.

LIVE: Lindsay Clancy trial Day 7

You can review this directly by watching the first 23 minutes of Day 7 of the trial.

Writing this for the Academy of Physician Associates in Legal Medicine, I see clear takeaways from Negri’s testimony that apply to both expert witnesses and practicing clinicians. As a fact witness, Negri was not offering expert opinion on the standard of care; he was detailing his direct treatment of the defendant. Whether you take the stand as an expert consultant or as a treating clinician in a high-profile case, there is much to learn from the poise and clarity Negri displayed.

Lesson 1: Clearly Identify Yourself and Your Profession

I commend him for leading with "Physician Associate" before adding "Physician Assistant" to ensure clarity for those more familiar with the older terminology—even if the prosecuting attorney still managed to call him a "physician's assistant" later.

Beyond personal titles, Negri defined the team-based structure of his care. By explicitly describing his relationship with the attending physicians, he established a clear chain of command and defined the boundaries of his liability. Rather than simply stating he treated the patient, he clarified that his plan was formulated "with an attending physician" and executed within a collaborative team structure. His testimony reinforced that he was not acting as the sole decision-maker. Under defense questioning, he specifically identified Dr. Jeffrey Anderson as a "trauma surgeon" and an "attending physician in the ICU," reinforcing for the jury who led the clinical team.

This clarity is essential in legal medicine. It isn't a question of capability—PAs across the country practice with high degrees of autonomy and manage complex clinical scenarios daily. Rather, it is about contextual precision on the stand. Your strongest defense is an accurate representation of the exact model under which care was delivered for that specific encounter. Whether you practice with direct attending collaboration or in a highly autonomous setting, you must clearly articulate your specific roles and responsibilities before taking the stand as a fact witness. Negri clearly stated what fell within his direct scope while directing questions about other aspects—such as blood transfusions and spinal injuries—to the appropriate consulting services, even when pressed by the defense to speculate.

Lesson 2: The Power of Contemporaneous and Accurate Charting

Negri’s testimony serves as a real-world validation of the dictum: "If you don't document it, it didn't happen". Throughout his examination, he relied heavily on his contemporaneous procedure notes rather than memory alone—a hallmark of a defensible witness. When questioned about specific measurements of the defendant's injuries, he stated, "If that's what my note says, then that's what it was".

Negri anchored his testimony strictly in his own procedure notes and direct observations, avoiding the common trap of relying on notes from prior shifts or copying another clinician's opinion. He also leaned on objective data, specifying that he repaired a 3 cm deep laceration using three sutures on one wrist and one suture for a 2 cm cut on the other. When the defense challenged his use of the word "deep," Negri clarified that in a medical context, "deep" is not an adjective but an objective unit of measure describing directionality into the skin.

Our procedure notes do far more than support billing. You never know when your note will be cross-examined on YouTube in front of 41,000 live viewers, or when a jury deciding someone’s fate will be dissecting your suturing handiwork.

Lesson 3: Stick to the Facts

The final lesson from Negri's testimony is the art of the disciplined answer. He was remarkably precise, answering only what was asked, volunteering no extra information, and staying clear of speculation.

When the defense pushed for his opinion on the source of internal bleeding or details of her cardiac arrest, he remained firm: "I don't know specifically... I'd have to refer back to the imaging reports," or simply, "I wasn't there". By sticking to concise responses like "Correct," "Yes, sir," and "No, sir," he prevented the attorney from twisting his words or drawing him into a debate over care he didn't personally provide. He understood that as a fact witness, his job was to authenticate his own record, not play the role of the overarching medical expert. The less you volunteer, the less opposing counsel has to pick apart.

Conclusion: Know Your Role and Take Pride in It

At the end of the day, Eitan Negri’s performance in the hot seat reminds us that professional poise on the stand is a direct result of clinical discipline at the bedside. By asserting his identity as a Physician Associate, using contemporaneous charting as a shield, and staying strictly within his clinical scope for that case, he turned a high-pressure cross-examination into a masterclass in competence and clear communication.

Whether repairing a laceration or explaining it to a jury (and 41,000 live-streamers), remember that your medical record is your testimony in waiting. Stick to the facts, respect the team structure, and for the sake of the profession, suture like a PA