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Who is Joseph Finley? NYC doc ‘savagely’ assaults ex leading to miscarriage, leaves her with broken bones

Negar Dolatabadi's lawsuit accuses Joseph Finley of fracturing her toes and ribs, as well as inflicting her with a concussion, and an ear injury
UPDATED JAN 5, 2023
Dr Joseph Finley has been accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Negar Dolatabadi (Northwell Health/website)
Dr Joseph Finley has been accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Negar Dolatabadi (Northwell Health/website)

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: A Manhattan surgeon has been accused of "savagely" hitting his dentist ex-girlfriend, who recently filed a lawsuit alleging the thrashings left her with broken bones, a concussion, and caused her to lose a pregnancy. Negar "Nora" Dolatabadi, 40, claims Joseph Clayton Finley, 53, used to get drunk and beat her up while calling her a "w***e" and threatening to kill her during their roughly four-year relationship, according to a lawsuit she filed on Friday, December 30.

In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Dolatabadi claims that Finley tried to choke her once and broke her toes, and ribs gave her a concussion and gave her scrapes, bruises, and an injury to her ear. “He’s ruined my life and he shouldn’t get away with it,” Dolatabadi told The New York Post this week. “I have a lifetime injury. I’m in pain every night. There is not a single second when I’m not aware of the pain in my foot," she added. 

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According to the filing, the assault in March 2021 was so severe that it led to Dolatabadi miscarrying their unborn child. Finley's attorney told that he has "vigorously" disputed the accusations, as per the outlet.

According to a Manhattan criminal court complaint, Finley was arrested on September 25, 2022, and charged with one case of second-degree strangling, six charges of third-degree assault, and two instances of third-degree criminal mischief. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office verified that the ENT expert had been released from custody without posting bail and was scheduled to return to court on February 8 in that case.

According to Dolatabadi's lawsuit, Finley started dating the Iranian immigrant in March 2018 and they moved in together in a Tribeca apartment in August of the same year. Shortly after, on October 30, 2018, according to the court documents, Finley allegedly launched his first assault against his girlfriend, breaking her ribs and repeatedly calling her a "w***e." He allegedly quit drinking after the initial event and didn't abuse Dolatabadi again until July 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic caused him to pick up drinking once more. 

Finley "savagely beat" Dolatabadi once again on July 5, 2020, while threatening to murder him. Before leaving her "bleeding and concussed on the floor of the bathroom," according to the lawsuit. According to the court documents, Finley smacked Dolatabadi hard in the ear during the incident and she was left lying on the bathroom floor for two days "throwing up and oozing liquid from her ear." According to the lawsuit, when she requested to see a doctor, Finley, who had allegedly begun consuming "1.75 liters of bourbon a day" allegedly responded that, "he was an ENT doctor and she didn't need another one," as per New York Post. 

Finley allegedly threatened to report her in additional assaults, once screaming, "I'll send your terrorist ass back to Iran." According to the court documents, he also threatened to "disfigure" her and stated he would "have to kill" her if she harmed his career. On October 3, 2020, he allegedly fractured Dolatabadi's toe when he "slammed a door on her foot." On December 17, 2021, he reportedly threw her to the ground, reinjuring her "previously operated on right foot," fracturing the same toe once more.

In February 2022, Dolatabadi learned that she was expecting Finley's child. The lawsuit claims that on March 31, 2021, her ex-boyfriend punched her in the stomach despite knowing she was pregnant. According to court documents, Dolatabadi visited an obstetrician on April 2 and was informed there had been a miscarriage and it was probably caused by the altercation from three days earlier. According to the filing, Finley reportedly punched Dolatabadi in the face while they were in the car that day, breaking her sunglasses and cutting her forehead. “You deserve this, what kind of kid wants you for a mother?” he allegedly told her, according to the suit. The lawsuit claims that Dolatabadi "resolved to escape the violence" following a further claimed incident on May 19, 2022.

Dolatabadi's attorney Kenneth Belkin told that his client could not work for two years due to a foot ailment. “You can’t do a [hospital] rotation as a dentist if you have broken toes,” Belkin said. “She is an immigrant to this country from Iran and worked very hard to become a dentist and it was not easy,” Belkin said. “She has essentially been robbed of this by this man’s action," as per New York Post.

After their relationship "deteriorated," Finley's attorney Thomas Rotko told that his client requested an order of protection against Dolatabadi in Family Court in July 2022 and that since then, she "has chased and pursued him from one courthouse to the next," as per the outlet. According to Rotko, Dolatabadi's landlord filed an eviction lawsuit against her because she refused to vacate the flat the two of them shared. Despite the fact that his client hasn't been charged in the case, he said that she later filed a criminal complaint against Finley. “Now comes yet another lawsuit, filed after he refused her demand that he pay her $800,000 – or $300,000 but only he reconciled with her,” Rotko said. “In every forum, he has vigorously denied these false allegations and he looks forward to being vindicated in court," he added.

Belkin responded that Finley’s Family Court case was “retaliatory to try to game the system to get her out [of their apartment] even though he had already been put out of the apartment by an order of protection in criminal court.” Belkin also said that the landlord brought an eviction case because, “Mr. Finley stopped paying the rent on the apartment.” He stated that his client sent Finley a legal demand letter in early November, giving the estranged couple "ample time" to try to settle before filing her lawsuit and that she had only previously offered to get back together with Finley on the condition that he seek professional help for the drinking. 

However, according to Manhattan prosecutors, Finley, an ENT physician employed by Northwell Health, is accused of assaulting and strangling his ex-girlfriend, Dolatabadi, on at least seven separate occasions between April 2021 and May 2022. 

Who is Joseph Clayton Finley?

Joseph Clayton Finley is an ears, nose and throat doctor. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is an Otolaryngologist at Lenox Health Greenwich Village at Northwell Health. His bio reads, "Ear, nose, and throat surgeon with a wide breadth of surgical experience, extensive leadership skills, and a strong focus on customer service". Finley had worked as an Otolaryngologist at New York Head & Neck Institute in the past. He attended Emory University School of Medicine and Duke University. Finley's skills include Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Robotic Surgery and Thyroid Surgery.

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