PAL/MED DOCTOR TO APPEAL RULING

A Cape Girardeau doctor and his son who gained national prominence with a medical-office computer program plan to appeal a $300,000 jury decision against them that was reached after a federal court trial in Wichita, Kan.

The jury ruled in favor of three Kansas doctors who alleged Dr. James E. Palen and Rick Palen had misrepresented Pal/Med after the doctors -- Ashok K. Bajaj, Ravi K. Jajaj and Roger C. Bond of Heartland Cardiology in Wichita -- invested $300,000 in the company, which provided computerized medical files and records.

The jury found in favor of the Palens on allegations that they had acted maliciously and had stolen the Kansas doctors' money. The jury also rejected claims for punitive damages.

Pal/Med filed for bankruptcy after disputes arose between the Palens and the three Kansas doctors.