Any patient undergoing medical procedures in Florida places a certain amount of personal trust in the doctor overseeing that care. Physicians are obligated to perform their duties according to the highest levels of accepted safety standards and protocol. When doctor/patient trust is violated, medical malpractice may occur that causes injury or illness to a patient, and that may be grounds for a lawsuit against the party or parties deemed responsible.
A 44-year-old male physician is currently facing at least 26 felony counts in connection with sexual assault accusations made against him by various patients. In a recent incident, a woman who had undergone a thyroid procedure claims that the doctor sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious from anesthesia. She has also said that the doctor further violated her by conducting unnecessary vaginal exams wherein he claimed to be examining a rash on her body.
The doctor had allegedly entered the woman’s private recovery room without other staff members present on several separate occasions. The woman said that she found evidence of the unconscious sexual assault after she had regained consciousness and went to use the restroom. Other victims have made similar allegations against the same doctor.
Reportedly, the doctor is being held in jail with bail set at $3 million for the criminal charges against him. Medical malpractice and negligence are among the list of damages cited in the civil lawsuit filed by the woman. Any medical patient in Florida who has suffered similar affronts at the hands of a physician may seek recourse through the legal system with the assistance of a personal injury attorney.
Source: ktla.com, “Alleged Victim Sues Riverside County Doctor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Multiple Patients“, Melissa Pamer and Courtney Friel, April 4, 2016