Who is Dr. Daniel Bober?

Disclaimer: This article contains allegations and opinions based on publicly available court documents, news reports, and public records. The statements herein have not been independently verified. Dr. Bober disputes the allegations in the Hadley lawsuit. Readers should consider this analysis and opinion, not established fact. No defamatory statements are intended.

Demoree Hadley thought she was meeting a landscaping client. Instead, she found herself surrounded by men claiming to be a hospital crisis team, facing a psychiatrist she'd never met who was about to have her forcibly detained for nearly two weeks. The psychiatrist was Dr. Daniel Bober. He had never examined Hadley, never spoken to her, never even seen her before that moment. But he had already authorized her Baker Act detention based on a phone call.

Bober told Hadley that her family had called reporting she overdosed the night before. Hospital records show her drug tests were negative. There was no overdose. The Baker Act requires physicians to examine patients within 48 hours before authorizing detention. Florida law does not recognize phone consultations as medical examinations. Bober violated state law to detain Hadley.

The men who detained Hadley weren't hospital staff. James Fondo, Steven Cady, and Jessica Cady told deputies they were "a mobile crisis team working with Dr. Bober from Memorial Hospital." These three people own Sig 9, a private security company staffed by former Broward Sheriff's Office officers. Memorial Healthcare told NBC6 that no mobile crisis team exists at their hospital. Private security contractors impersonated medical staff to execute an illegal Baker Act.

Nobody has explained who paid Sig 9 or who authorized them to pose as hospital employees. Bober's representative told NBC6 he "is not affiliated with Sig 9 and he didn't hire the company." Someone coordinated this operation. Someone paid these contractors. Someone authorized the impersonation of medical staff. That someone remains unnamed.

Hadley was first held under the Baker Act, then transferred to Life Skills South Florida under a Marchman Act order for drug treatment. Her drug tests were negative. Dr. Bober serves as Medical Director of Life Skills South Florida. He authorized Hadley's detention and then profited from housing her at his facility for nearly two weeks. When NBC6 asked about his compensation, Bober's representative said he "was not compensated in connection with Demoree's case" but refused to address his role as Medical Director of the detention facility.

After the NBC6 investigation aired, Bober's representative said he "is unable to do an interview following the advice of his attorney."

Dr. Bober has built his career on violating professional ethics. The American Psychiatric Association's Goldwater Rule explicitly prohibits psychiatrists from offering professional opinions about public figures they haven't examined. The rule states: "it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement." Bober routinely ignores this rule.

In May 2022, Bober provided OutKick with detailed psychiatric analysis of Britney Spears based on her Instagram posts. He discussed "bipolar patients," "relapses," and "suicide attempts" in relation to Spears' behavior, stating: "She has a history of extreme behavior in the past, so I think a lot of the things she does are over the top." Bober has never examined, met, or treated Britney Spears. His analysis violated basic psychiatric ethics.

Bober appeared on Fox News in February 2018 as a "forensic psychiatrist" to analyze the Parkland shooter's mental state. He has never evaluated the shooter. In July 2021, he appeared on CBS to discuss Surfside building collapse trauma. In January 2025, he appeared on CBS Miami discussing social media restrictions. Each appearance involved psychiatric commentary on people and situations he had no direct knowledge of.

Bober maintains extensive self-promotion across social media. His Facebook page describes him as a "Mental Health Advocate," he produces videos for health television channels explaining addiction and mental illness. Every tragedy becomes a media opportunity for Dr. Bober.

The scope of Bober's authority is unprecedented. He holds board certifications in General Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine, and Obesity Medicine. These certifications allow him to authorize Baker Acts for mental health, Marchman Acts for addiction, and forensic evaluations for criminal cases. Few psychiatrists possess this range of detention authority.

Bober controls where detained patients are sent. He serves as Medical Director at Life Skills South Florida and Chief Medical Officer of Odyssey Behavioral Healthcare. Both facilities house individuals detained under Baker Acts and Marchman Acts. Bober can authorize detentions and determine where detainees are housed, creating obvious conflicts of interest.

From 2007 to 2008, Bober served as mental health policy fellow in the U.S. Senate through the American Psychiatric Association. According to his website, this honor is "bestowed on one psychiatrist each year." He worked with Congress on mental health policy for veterans and active duty service members.

Bober's patients rate him poorly across multiple platforms. On Healthgrades, he maintains 3.0 out of 5 stars based on 27 reviews. On Sharecare, he has 3.0 out of 5 stars. His patient recommendation rate is 2.96 out of 5. Most physicians maintain ratings above 4.0 stars. The people who actually receive Bober's care are notably unimpressed.

Hadley has filed federal lawsuits against Bober and 16 other defendants. Her mother is Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation, which was founded by Jay-Z.

Bober has systematized psychiatric detention for profit. He can authorize detentions by phone without examination. He can send detainees to facilities he controls. He can profit from their detention. He faces minimal oversight due to his political connections and multiple certifications. He exploits every tragedy for media attention while violating basic professional ethics.

When doctors can imprison people they've never met based on phone calls containing false information, when private security can impersonate medical staff, when the same person who orders detention controls the detention facility, the system has become corrupt beyond repair.

Dr. Bober represents everything wrong with American psychiatry.