Family Of Slain Newport Beach Urologist Files 2 Suits Against His Accused Killer
SANTA ANA (CBS/AP) — The family of a Newport Beach urologist has filed two lawsuits against the patient accused of killing him.
The Los Angeles Times reports the family of Dr. Ronald Gilbert has filed a wrongful-death suit against 75-year-old Stanwood Elkus, and another alleging fraud.
The fraud suit says that less than two weeks after the Jan. 28 shooting, Elkus began giving away California real estate he owned to a Los Angeles couple in order to shield it from legal damages.
An Orange County judge Thursday ordered Elkus to stop the transactions. Elkus hasn't yet hired an attorney in the civil case.
Police say Elkus had an appointment at Orange Coast Urology, and when Gilbert entered the exam room, Elkus shot him several times and killed him. Elkus has pleaded not guilty.
Elkus' former neighbors told CBS2 they filed a lawsuit in 2006 after he allegedly taunted and terrorized their family over a landscaping decision.
"He started coming up to the fence and yelling in the middle of the night," Melissa Evans said. "He would come to the front door and pound on the door. He didn't believe me when I said my husband wasn't home and he tried to push his way into the house and see for himself."
Evans says she and her husband eventually moved to Wildomar — 10 miles away — to avoid Elkus, but he found out where they lived and would drive by as recently as five months ago.
"I knew he was capable of aggressive behavior, obviously he had shown me that. But murder? No," Evans said.
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