What Do You Mean Doctors Can Assault Patients?

How to Spot Abuse During a Routine Exam.

It can be as subtle as a dermatologist asking how often you have sex, since sex is “good for the skin;” or asking to see an intimate area for signs of acne. But it can get a lot sketchier when touching is involved, which brings us to OB/GYN examinations.

In the last year alone, ACFW has supported more than half a dozen lawsuits involving physicians who betrayed their patients’ trust and abused their professional authority by sexually assaulting patients under the façade of legitimate treatment when you’re lying on the exam table – especially when your breasts, vagina, and/or rectum may be the subject of inspection. Or not.

How Do I Know If I Was Sexually Assaulted by a Doctor?

Maybe at first, you don’t. Doctors should know what’s necessary to help you, right, even if you don’t, right? But that’s the tricky part because society has taught us that doctors can be trusted to touch our bodies in ways it would be wrong for someone else to.

Instinct, though, doesn’t lie. If something felt creepy, it likely was.

What Are Some Examples of Doctor Assault?

Many of the elite athletes under (then Dr.) Larry Nassar’s care, for example, didn’t know that what he was doing to them constituted sexual abuse. His “vaginal adjustments” were often performed right in front of a patient’s mom sitting in the room.

Jennifer Rood-Bedford played volleyball at Michigan State University and went to Nasser for back, leg, and shoulder injuries. In a private room, he laid her face down on the examining table and began massaging her buttocks and pelvic area, saying it was part of his winning medical technique.

“He would just ask me questions and talk about life, his work, and how he had used this method to help so many,” Rood-Bedford said. Then he gradually slid his fingers into her vagina. “I remember laying there wondering, ‘Is this OK? This doesn’t seem right.’ I didn’t know what to do.”

Kyle Stephens was six when Nassar first exposed himself to her in a boiler room with the lights switched off. For the next six years, he masturbated in front of her, rubbed his penis against her bare foot, and inserted his finger into her vagina. When she told her parents at age 12, Nassar convinced her parents she was making it all up. In court, she called him a “repulsive liar.”

“Little girls don’t stay little forever,” Stephens said. “They grow into strong women that return to destroy your world,” reported CNN.

How Many Doctors Have Made News for Assault Lawsuits?

An abysmally long list involving primarily female patients. Here are some national lawsuits ACFW has successfully supported.

Sideline: We engage in civil law, which goes after the root system/party that enabled these predators to continue operating without blowing the whistle. Why? Greed. Civil lawsuits seek public acknowledgement of wrongdoing and substantive financial payback. Criminal law, on the other hand, goes after the individual assailant for prison time.

David Broadbent (practiced near Brigham Young University & Utah Valley University): 79-year-old OBGYN who assaulted, at last count, more than 500 women, many of whom had never had a gynecological exam before and didn’t know what to expect.
Robert Hadden (New York Presbyterian Hospital & Columbia University Medical Center): 64-year-old OBGYN first accused of sexual assault by Evelyn Yang (wife of former presidential candidate Andrew Yang) after which he was indicted in 2023 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for assaulting hundreds of patients.
Zhi Alan Cheng (New York Presbyterian Hospital): 33-year-old former NYC gastroenterologist indicted August 7, 2023, on more than 50 charges of drugging, assaulting, and illegally filming 13 unconscious women – some of them patients.
Fabio Ortega (Chicago Northshore & Swedish Covenant Hospitals): 77-year-old former gynecologist who pleaded guilty in 2021 to charges of aggravated sexual assault and was ultimately sentenced to three years in prison.
John Carl Hoefs (Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Medical Center, University of California): 79-year-old California hepatologist (liver disease specialist) arrested May 3, 2024, on seven counts of felony sexual battery for groping the breasts of at least two patients.

It’s Not JUST Women Being Hurt.

Men, big strapping athletes, have been abused by doctors, too, though it is considered even more difficult for them to step up since the usual comeback is why didn’t they overpower the doctor. Many of them went on to become legendary NFL pros; when they came forward, the impact was seismic.

Robert Anderson (University of Michigan): deceased at 80. Since 2020, more than 1,000 former students, athletes, patients, and others have come forward claiming that Anderson sexually assaulted them during routine medical examinations. The university reached a settlement with plaintiffs for $490 million in January 2022.
Richard Strauss (Ohio State University): 67 when he committed suicide in 2005, a decade before being formally investigated & ultimately accused of sexually abusing 230+ former student-athletes and other alumni during his tenure (1978-1998). In September 2024, the Supreme Court ruled to allow the case to proceed to trial.

This Isn’t Just About Justice, It’s About Healing.

AKA, what should you do if you felt something was “off” at your appointment?

Please tell someone your story. Don’t just shake it off or try to bury the feeling. Tragically, it won’t go away, but instead can fester and become an even deeper emotional infection. If something bothered you about what happened at an appointment (inappropriate touching or inappropriate questions/dialogue), you can speak up without fear.

Times have changed, especially since #MeToo. We’re here to encourage you and cheer you on because when you come forward, you not only free yourself but help protect someone else, maybe a lot of someone else’s.

Nothing will stop this from happening as effectively as women ending their secrecy. In each of the above cases, the university, hospital, or medical center had received complaints but took no action until formal charges were brought, often for decades.

Making good noise is the only way.

Additional help center emergency contacts:

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Hotline). 1-800-656-4673.
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN. 1-800-656-4673.
NSVRC (National Sexual Violence Resource Center/RAINN). 1-800-656-4673.
Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Physicians have a trusted place in our society, but sadly, there is the chance that a doctor can violate this trust. Women shouldn’t be afraid to speak out about doctor sexual assault when they know they’ve experienced it, or once they discover that what happened to them was assault.

Can I File A Lawsuit for Doctor Sexual Assault?

In a heartbeat when you’ve been sexually assaulted by your doctor during a medical appointment. There is a line between professional touching with medical instruments or gloved hands, and unannounced, unexplained touching that makes you cringe.

If you are a survivor of any of the doctors mentioned here, contact us immediately and tell us your story in confidence. You may be able to join an existing lawsuit. If your story involves a doctor not mentioned, all the more reason to contact us: What happened to you may mean that many more women have been affected.

This Isn’t Our First Rodeo.

We want to help you take legal action. We’re dedicated to helping women seek justice, including significant financial compensation to help get your life back on track, perhaps pay for psychological therapy if desired (it’s a good idea!) plus lost earning power or family disruption. Sex assault is a trauma like no other, and we believe – as does the psychiatric world – that sharing your story with someone you trust is the first step to healing a very deep wound.

P.S. You can trust us and here’s why. At A Case for Women, many among our national team have experienced sexual assault in one form or another. We know the sound of voices that tremble telling their truth.

Remember, you can come forward without revealing your identity. We are fierce guardians of privacy. And one more thing: We only work with law firms who operate on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t owe anything unless you win something.

We’re here for you. 100%. 24/7/365. What we hope is that you’ll let us help take the bowling ball off your brain.