What do you think?
Rate this book
Duty to Warn
THE INSIDE STORY OF THE DR MUNJED AL MUDERIS DEFAMATION TRIAL - a brilliantly told testament to the power of investigative journalism to hold institutions and individuals accountable
It all started when a daughter asked her father 'Are there any risks?'.
Investigative journalist Charlotte Grieve had a very personal reason to be interested in celebrated orthopaedic surgeon Dr Munjed Al Muderis. Her father had lost his leg almost sixty years before a chance meeting with Dr Al Muderis, who raised concerns about her father's ongoing mobility. The famous doctor told him that osseointegration surgery would keep him out of a wheelchair. Her mother suggested a second opinion. The collision of the personal and professional would spark an investigation that led to a $20 million defamation trial.
Charlotte uncovered serious concerns about the doctor's surgical practice and evidence that he routinely failed to adequately inform patients of the risks involved in his signature procedure. Doctors have a duty of care, but they also legally have a duty to warn. It means that they must warn patients of any risks. When that is not done, vulnerable people have to live with the consequences.
Dr Al Muderis would go on to spend millions trying to prevent Charlotte from warning the public about his failures. Though pressured to drop her investigation, Charlotte stood firm. In the defamation trial, thirty-five of his patients, dozens of doctors, surgeons and health professionals would take the stand, defending their stories, their lives, their truths.
Compelling and masterfully written, Duty to Warn is the inside story of a young journalist fighting to uncover the facts whilst coming up against a powerful individual determined to stop her. It delivers a rare window into legal and ethical reckoning in medicine and in journalism. Ultimately, it is a story about the duty to warn, what it means, and the catastrophic outcomes that can ensue when a doctor fails to uphold their ethical responsibilities.
It all started when a daughter asked her father 'Are there any risks?'.
Investigative journalist Charlotte Grieve had a very personal reason to be interested in celebrated orthopaedic surgeon Dr Munjed Al Muderis. Her father had lost his leg almost sixty years before a chance meeting with Dr Al Muderis, who raised concerns about her father's ongoing mobility. The famous doctor told him that osseointegration surgery would keep him out of a wheelchair. Her mother suggested a second opinion. The collision of the personal and professional would spark an investigation that led to a $20 million defamation trial.
Charlotte uncovered serious concerns about the doctor's surgical practice and evidence that he routinely failed to adequately inform patients of the risks involved in his signature procedure. Doctors have a duty of care, but they also legally have a duty to warn. It means that they must warn patients of any risks. When that is not done, vulnerable people have to live with the consequences.
Dr Al Muderis would go on to spend millions trying to prevent Charlotte from warning the public about his failures. Though pressured to drop her investigation, Charlotte stood firm. In the defamation trial, thirty-five of his patients, dozens of doctors, surgeons and health professionals would take the stand, defending their stories, their lives, their truths.
Compelling and masterfully written, Duty to Warn is the inside story of a young journalist fighting to uncover the facts whilst coming up against a powerful individual determined to stop her. It delivers a rare window into legal and ethical reckoning in medicine and in journalism. Ultimately, it is a story about the duty to warn, what it means, and the catastrophic outcomes that can ensue when a doctor fails to uphold their ethical responsibilities.
389 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2026
16 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 13, 2026
Wow. What brilliant writing, well researched and spine tingling. I remember the media hype about this surgeon - the sad back story and the trail blazing surgery he was performing. The sad reality that was running alongside this is horrifying. Surgery comes with potential complications for sure, but to have so many people experience the complications and then denied aftercare, empathy and have their issues dismissed is beyond belief. And still this man did not reflect and own his part in these outcomes. The notion of “informed consent” is translated vastly differently in healthcare and the power advantage that doctors and nurses have definitely plays into what a patient questions, whether they seek a second opinion and what they accept as “normal” when all of their senses tell them things are wrong. We have to do better to protect vulnerable people and inform all of potential concerns with practitioners. Brilliant journalism. Let’s hope the appeal has the same outcome and congratulations Charlotte for bringing this to light so diligently.
March 1, 2026
Wow. Absolutely stunning journalism from Charlotte Grieve. It’s only February, but this is going to be hard to beat as my favourite and most impactful read of 2026.
I’d eagerly awaited this book after reading about the defamation trial in real time, along with having read both of Dr Al Muderis’s autobiographies.
As a health worker, understanding the importance of informed consent, patient advocacy, the balance of doing nothing vs something, and protecting vulnerable clients is something I have spent years learning, and Charlotte portrays this with stunning accuracy and excellent discussion, speaking to the depth of research and consideration she has given these topics. I felt she told the patients stories with clarity and empathy, whilst maintaining a degree of separation to ensure her journalistic integrity remained - no easy feat given her obvious human connection with her sources.
The courage of many of the patients to testify in the face of such scrutiny was incredible, and such a moving part of the story. Listening to the portrayal of the complainants legal team was incredibly thought provoking. Whilst acknowledging the cab rank principle, and that it is valid to try and do the best job with what you have, hearing how the witnesses were belittled and targeted made for upsetting, albeit gripping listening. Charlotte was an excellent narrator for these moments, and her use of tone / intonation to tell the story was great. It was astounding to hear some of the facts of the case, and that knowing these things, the complainant & team chose to pursue the case.
Overall, an incredibly engaging portrayal of this case, and a book I will be recommending to all (especially my medical mates).
I’d eagerly awaited this book after reading about the defamation trial in real time, along with having read both of Dr Al Muderis’s autobiographies.
As a health worker, understanding the importance of informed consent, patient advocacy, the balance of doing nothing vs something, and protecting vulnerable clients is something I have spent years learning, and Charlotte portrays this with stunning accuracy and excellent discussion, speaking to the depth of research and consideration she has given these topics. I felt she told the patients stories with clarity and empathy, whilst maintaining a degree of separation to ensure her journalistic integrity remained - no easy feat given her obvious human connection with her sources.
The courage of many of the patients to testify in the face of such scrutiny was incredible, and such a moving part of the story. Listening to the portrayal of the complainants legal team was incredibly thought provoking. Whilst acknowledging the cab rank principle, and that it is valid to try and do the best job with what you have, hearing how the witnesses were belittled and targeted made for upsetting, albeit gripping listening. Charlotte was an excellent narrator for these moments, and her use of tone / intonation to tell the story was great. It was astounding to hear some of the facts of the case, and that knowing these things, the complainant & team chose to pursue the case.
Overall, an incredibly engaging portrayal of this case, and a book I will be recommending to all (especially my medical mates).
February 2, 2026
I came to this book sceptical, as someone who has worked within the medical system and understands both its complexity and its constraints. I also carry a healthy distrust of journalists writing about medicine, and I worried this might be a simplistic hit piece.
It isn’t.
I hadn’t followed this defamation case at the time, but it’s clear how much time and consideration went into not only the initial articles, but the subsequent case and finally this book.
The book is extremely well researched, very readable and raises genuinely uncomfortable and important questions. Medical professionals are understandably inclined to focus on the good work being done. There will always be dissatisfied patients, and most clinicians will accumulate complaints over a long career. If this were simply an exposé of “disgruntled” patients unhappy with Dr Al Muderis’ bedside manner or surgical outcomes, the portrayal here would be deeply unfair.
But it becomes clear that this is not about the odd mismatch of expectations or someone having an off day. Instead, what Grieve describes, and is substantiated through the court case, is a surgeon emboldened by fame, ego, greed, and god-complex, and, unfortunately, a system that enables this behaviour.
One of the strongest aspects of the book is its examination of medical culture: the reverence afforded to high-profile consultants, the power they wield, and how difficult it is for concerns to be raised about those at the top. The failures of AHPRA are particularly disheartening. That Dr Al Muderis currently has no conditions on his AHPRA registration is deeply unsettling. It raises serious questions about the effectiveness of medical regulation, and about how many other practitioners may be operating with similar impunity.
The sections involving Sue Chrysanthou SC make for compelling reading. Seeing such a prominent lawyer so thoroughly exposed is strangely satisfying.
For audiobook listeners there are a couple of oddly long pauses and one unusual pronunciation of amenorrhoea but otherwise no issues.
Duty to Warn is a well written and important read.
It isn’t.
I hadn’t followed this defamation case at the time, but it’s clear how much time and consideration went into not only the initial articles, but the subsequent case and finally this book.
The book is extremely well researched, very readable and raises genuinely uncomfortable and important questions. Medical professionals are understandably inclined to focus on the good work being done. There will always be dissatisfied patients, and most clinicians will accumulate complaints over a long career. If this were simply an exposé of “disgruntled” patients unhappy with Dr Al Muderis’ bedside manner or surgical outcomes, the portrayal here would be deeply unfair.
But it becomes clear that this is not about the odd mismatch of expectations or someone having an off day. Instead, what Grieve describes, and is substantiated through the court case, is a surgeon emboldened by fame, ego, greed, and god-complex, and, unfortunately, a system that enables this behaviour.
One of the strongest aspects of the book is its examination of medical culture: the reverence afforded to high-profile consultants, the power they wield, and how difficult it is for concerns to be raised about those at the top. The failures of AHPRA are particularly disheartening. That Dr Al Muderis currently has no conditions on his AHPRA registration is deeply unsettling. It raises serious questions about the effectiveness of medical regulation, and about how many other practitioners may be operating with similar impunity.
The sections involving Sue Chrysanthou SC make for compelling reading. Seeing such a prominent lawyer so thoroughly exposed is strangely satisfying.
For audiobook listeners there are a couple of oddly long pauses and one unusual pronunciation of amenorrhoea but otherwise no issues.
Duty to Warn is a well written and important read.
March 7, 2026
Wow. So well researched and beautifully told with an excellent balance of objective reporting and personal reflections woven throughout. Gripping storytelling (I found my heart racing during the verdict even though I knew what happened) that left me feeling shocked, moved, elated and angry all at the same time. This is an impressive, important first book and I hope the right people take notice! - *****
March 6, 2026
Brilliant. A comprehensive account of the events preceding and the trial initiated by al Muderis. Arrogance! He joins the list of generous contributors to the legal profession's coffers - along with Roberts Smith and Lehrmann.
March 7, 2026
Highly recommend this book. It is an excellent recount one of Australia’s biggest defamation case in history. A gripping read, and provides great insights about the world of journalism and the medical system.
February 20, 2026
two point five - some portraits of people are quite true to life but overall a bit boring tbh
Review of advance copy
Goodreads is wrong that this book has not yet been published in paperback form. I bought a copy in Big W on 6 February 2026.
This is a harrowing book that makes valuable points about power and money in the surgical profession and a lack of accountability by those organisations that are set up to investigate claims. I have had similar experiences.
Well done to the journalist and the legal team.
This is a harrowing book that makes valuable points about power and money in the surgical profession and a lack of accountability by those organisations that are set up to investigate claims. I have had similar experiences.
Well done to the journalist and the legal team.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews