Skip to main content
If you were a patient and had a disturbing experience, we want to know. Contact us privately for a free consultation.
Dr. Kumar Sexual Assault Lawsuit
What Are the Allegations Against Dr. Kumar?
Gynecologist Dr. Sanjeev Shih-Shia Kumar, 44, of Memphis, TN, was arrested February 28, 2025, on 23 counts of patient sexual assault and insurance fraud. Since the federal case was announced, hundreds of women have filed criminal, as well as civil charges (what we do) against Poplar Avenue Clinic in East Memphis where he worked.
Kumar is accused of:
- luring 4 women across state lines and subjecting them to “illegal sexual activity”
- sexually assaulting patients under the pretense of medical care
- profiting from medical fraud
- committing assault by performing unnecessary procedures on women for money, not to help patients (yes, that’s assault)
- exposing women to bacterial contamination by reusing single use vaginally inserted medical instruments stored in unsanitary conditions
If you were a patient of Dr. Kumar, we want to help you take civil legal action.
CONTACT US
“Kumar was consistently the top-paid provider in Tennessee for Medicare and Medicaid for hysteroscopy biopsy services, and he profited substantially from these criminal acts.”
How Could This Happen?
Doctor sexual assault/SA often happens because the hospitals or institutions where these doctors practice ignore sexual misconduct. They may do this despite known or suspected patterns of abusive behavior typically reported by multiple patients – until one day a patient speaks out publicly or goes to local authorities.
In this case, there is evidence that Poplar Avenue Clinic allowed Kumar to continue hurting women for at least five years between September 2019 and June 2024 + failed to try and stop him or warn patients.
We are helping women challenge this hideous wrongdoing with a civil lawsuit. The Dr. Sanjeev Kumar lawsuit seeks to hold those in charge of the facility where Kumar worked accountable + aims to secure financial restitution to help survivors move on, rather than securing a maximum prison sentence for Kumar himself, as in a criminal case.
The clinic’s website has been taken down and Google lists it as “closed down.”3
Wait – Performing Unnecessary Medical Procedures is a Form of Assault?
Kumar’s patients may find it difficult to understand that he committed sexual assault by subjecting them to unnecessary and invasive procedures for profit – not to help them. But bottom line: if something felt “off” about your medical appointment with Dr. Kumar, then listen to your gut!
In Kumar’s case, he stands accused of:
- Performing unnecessary hysteroscopies at least 40 times so he could charge Medicare and Medicaid $2,515 a pop (New York Times).3
- Describing medically unnecessary procedures as necessary to patients.
- Claiming he performed the unnecessary procedures to exacting medical standards when, in fact, he reused “single use” instruments inserted vaginally without properly cleaning or disinfecting them or telling patients.
- Directing his staff to treat each patient as “critical,” meaning every new patient underwent a Pap smear, ultrasound, and hysteroscopy, regardless of what kind of treatment they were seeking.
Sidenote: A hysteroscopy is a procedure that uses a thin, lighted tube inserted into a woman’s vagina to allow a doctor to observe the cervix and uterus, according to the Cleveland Clinic.4
Is Doctor Sexual Assault a Thing Now?
Yes. We have seen just in the last few years how cases of Doctor SA are not isolated: Kumar is not a one-off. ACFW has launched a host of previous national advertising + social media campaigns in support of civil lawsuits that challenged executives + hospitals + institutions that hired and harbored “predators in white coats”:
- Derrick Todd (Brigham & Women’s/Boston, Mass General Hospital, et al.)
- Scott Shih-Shia Lee (California Institution for Women, other medical groups near Mission Viejo, CA)
- Fabio Ortega (Northshore and Swedish Covenant Hospitals/Greater Chicago)
- David Broadbent (Provo, Utah area near Brigham Young University)
- Barry Brock (Cedars-Sinai Beverly Hills-Rodeo Drive Medical Center)
- Babak Hajhosseini (Cedars-Sinai Beverly Hills-Rodeo Drive Medical Center/ Wound & Burn Centers of America/Los Angeles)
- John Carl Hoefs (Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Medical Center, University of California, Irvine, Liver Specialty Center/Irvine)
- Robert Anderson (University of Michigan/Ann Arbor)
- Richard Strauss (Ohio State University/Columbus)
How Can I File a Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Lawsuit?
The easiest way is to contact us confidentially using the brief form provided here.
Why you? You may not understand just how much power you wield! Even if you were the only one to come forward, your decision would have a powerful ripple effect encouraging other survivors to follow your lead.
We see this happen all the time. You have a huge influence by speaking out. A national lawsuit draws media attention with bold headlines and can force seismic change within industries + decreases the chances that other women will suffer the same wretched experience.
Why ACFW?
Why us? Partly (largely) because we were founded in 2016 by women, for women. We are staffed by real humans trained specifically in sexual trauma communication.
We’ve successfully handled numerous doctor assault cases that have helped hundreds of women. As a company, ACFW is steeped in this case area from helping survivors navigate the lawsuits listed above.
As for us, we charge you nothing for our many services. We are here on the other end – ready to help when you’re ready to tell us what happened. Please contact us 24/7/365.
LET US HELP
Sources
- Adrian Sainz, “Tennessee gynecologist charged with performing unnecessary medical procedures,” Associated Press, February 28, 2025.
- Lucas Finton, “Memphis gynecologist indicted on federal sexual abuse, misuse of medical devices charges,” Memphis Commercial Appeal, March 3, 2025.
- Claire Fahy, “Gynecologist Abused Patients While Defrauding Insurance, Officials Say,” New York Times, March 3, 2025.
- Ibid.
