Self-Styled Phobia Victim : Chatsworth Man Ordered to Repay Insurance Firm

A Chatsworth chiropractor, after pleading guilty to misdemeanor insurance fraud Tuesday, was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to reimburse an insurance company for more than $15,000 it paid for psychotherapy treatments.

James Francis Dorobiala, 47, was charged with defrauding Farmers Insurance Group of $15,450 for psychotherapy. Dorobiala had claimed that he was suffering from a bizarre phobia that stemmed from a minor traffic accident.

He also was ordered to cooperate in the prosecution of his Beverly Hills psychotherapist, Donald Dossey. Dossey is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.

Farmers Insurance Group said it paid $30,000 overall for the treatment, and it alleged that more than half of that amount represented false billings for therapy sessions that never occurred, court documents show.

The treatment was for a phobia with symptoms that included stomach pains, diarrhea and lack of control over urination when getting into cars, according to an affidavit Dossey signed. The problems began, Dorobiala told the insurance company, after a minor hit-and-run accident during a Hawaiian vacation in July, 1984.

Dorobiala began weekly treatments at Dossey’s Beverly Hills phobia clinic in August, 1984, the documents show. About a year later, Dorobiala was making only one visit to the clinic a month, although he continued sending bills to the insurance company for weekly sessions.

Dorobiala’s attorney, Alan May, said his client continued undergoing weekly therapy by means of “field treatment” where he “faced his fears” by driving alone on the freeway.

Originally, Dorobiala had been charged with one felony count each of grand theft, conspiracy to defraud and insurance fraud. Those charges were dismissed, and Deputy Dist. Atty. Janice L. Maurizi instead filed a misdemeanor charge against him for presenting documentation to support a fraudulent claim. The maximum penalty for that charge is a $10,000 fine and three years’ probation.

Maurizi said she dropped the three charges against Dorobiala when new evidence pointed to Dossey’s involvement in the scheme.

“Before we got started, I thought that Dorobiala was more culpable; now I really believe they’re both equally culpable,” Maurizi said. “It became clear that it was something they both planned and both benefited from.”

The new evidence indicated that Dossey received checks from the money Dorobiala was given by Farmers Insurance. In addition, May handed over documents showing that Dossey had recently been involved in bankruptcy proceedings and in a costly divorce action, Maurizi said.

Dossey had asked Dorobiala to open a special account and pay him from that account, and Dorobiala simply followed his instructions, May said.

However, Dossey told investigators that he conspired with his client because he was intimidated by him. A preliminary hearing for Dossey is scheduled for Sept. 14.