Five Women File Class-Action Against Queens Doctor Alleging Sexual Abuse
Two of the largest cases of doctors abusing their privilege and trust involve sports teams. The largest lawsuit ever was filed against U.S. Gymnastics involving Dr. Larry Nassar who is now behind bars for the rest of his life. A less sensationalized lawsuit that resulted in one of the largest civil settlements in U.S. history involved a doctor at USC who abused female college students. Hundreds of such lawsuits have been filed over the years. The most recent is a lawsuit coming out of Queens in which five women allege that their doctor sexually abused his patients conducting medically irrelevant breast exams on patients as young as 14.
The lawsuit has been filed against a popular doctor in the Bengali community. The lawsuit was filed just in time for the victims of sexual abuse to file claims that are older than the statute of limitations.
According to statements filed by plaintiffs, the abuse spanned two decades. The doctor would order the girls to partially undress and fondle them, even when they were seeking medical care for symptoms like a sore throat which one would imagine does not involve a breast exam. The plaintiffs claim this is another example of a doctor abusing his position of trust and authority to commit sex crimes against children.
Allegations surface
Allegations surfaced against the doctor online when his former victims began discussing their experiences openly. The #MeToo movement has provided many women with a safe means of discussing past sexual abuse openly whereas prior, many held the pain inside and never spoke of the abuse. The doctor, once these allegations became known, filed a worthless defamation suit against the victims which backfired in spectacular fashion. If you’re used to watching legal dramas on TV, then you probably know that defamation lawsuits border on impossible to win. In this case, the defamation suit drew attention to the doctor and the claims against him which led to more plaintiffs being added to the lawsuit against him. The doctor is appealing the decision to dismiss the defamation lawsuit, but of course, the truth is a defense to claims of defamation. You cannot defame someone with the truth.
The defamation suit was a last-ditch effort to silence the women, but in this case, it just brought more women out of the woodwork to file allegations against this particular doctor.
Untouchable
Much like Larry Nassar and other doctors who sexually abuse patients over the course of decades, they got away with it for so long because they were treated as veritable gods in their communities. No one in their right mind would have ever accused them of misconduct, and those who did must surely have been confused. This prevented many young women from coming forward earlier, despite the doctor’s obvious misconduct.
Talk to a Charlottesville, Virginia Medical Malpractice Attorney
The Charlottesville medical malpractice attorneys at MichieHamlett file lawsuits against negligent doctors and hospitals for failure to ensure the prevailing standard of care for their patients. Call today to schedule a free consultation and we can begin discussing your options immediately.
Resource:
thecity.nyc/queens/2021/8/17/22628155/suit-queens-doctor-alleges-sexual-abuse