Samuel Caruthers, a Morris County anesthesiologist, is facing several criminal charges including aggravated assault.
VERNON -- The parents of a 12-year-old boy who was allegedly attacked by a Morris County anesthesiologist in an apparent "ski rage incident" at Mountain Creek ski resort on Valentine's Day recently filed a lawsuit against the doctor.
Samuel Caruthers, of Mountain Lakes, was indicted by a Sussex County grand jury in May on charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office. Caruthers pleaded not guilty to these charges in July.
Caruthers, the prosecutor's office said, repeatedly punched the boy in the face and poked him in the chest with the pointed end of a ski pole. Police have said the boy was visibly injured when officers arrived at the scene.
Caruthers was skiing with his own child at Mountain Creek on Feb. 14 when the boy fell into them, prompting the assault, police have said.
The boy's parents filed suit in Sussex County against Caruthers on July 25, alleging the attack caused "serious permanent and disabling injuries" to their son by striking him with his hands and a ski pole. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages along with interest, attorney fees and costs of suit.
The lawsuit also accuses Caruthers of intentionally inflicting emotional distress on the boy's parents who witnessed the attack.
Douglas Widman, the attorney representing the boy and his parents said, "We trust that this civil action will provide some justice for this family that has suffered."
Caruther's attorney, Robert Dunn, has not yet returned a message placed Tuesday seeking comment. He previously told NJ Advance Media his client was sorry for any misunderstanding.
"My client had no intention of causing any harm to this young man," Dunn said in February. "It was more in the nature of an accident."
According to New Jersey Herald, Caruthers has been offered probation in connection with the February incident on the condition that he serve 180 days in jail, undergo a mental health evaluation and participate in an anger management program.
Caruthers was rejected from applying for the state's pre-trial intervention program, which allows first-time, non-violent offenders to have charges dismissed if they meet certain conditions, the newspaper has reported.
The alleged attack this past February isn't the first time Caruthers has been charged with assault.
According to records obtained by NJ Advance Media, Caruthers served three years of probation after he allegedly assaulted a man walking his Golden Retriever in Frederick, Md. on May 8, 2010.
Records obtained by NJ Advance Media show Caruthers accepted a guilty disposition in Aug. 2010 for second-degree assault, which is a misdemeanor in Maryland, and he received a suspended sentence of 18 days and a three-year term of unsupervised probation. He was later permitted to expunge his name from the case.
Dino Flores, the attorney who represented Caruthers in the Maryland case, told NJ Advance Media in March his former client would have no comment.
"There may have been a closed case as far as Maryland is concerned," he said. "Dr. Caruthers is not going to comment on a case that doesn't exist legally."
Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.