Doctors, nurses and other staff many times have unsupervised interactions with patients. Similar to teachers, coaches, and clergy, they have a duty to protect the patients who are under their care. Sometimes these medical professionals use their position and access to harm the very individuals who are under their care.
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Abuse Can Happen to Anyone at Any Time
There is no one profile that describes a victim of a physician or medical professional abuse. Victims can range in age from infants/toddlers to the elderly. The abuse itself may also be varied. Doctors or nurses may speak to them in sexually inappropriate ways, expose themselves to patients and/or make contact by groping or penetrating a patient.
Challenges to Reporting Abuse
If it happened once, it is likely to happen again. Victims sometimes try to avoid confrontation by reasoning that the abuse only occurred one time or by telling themselves they are likely the only victim. Abusers typically repeatedly abuse patients.
Patients may be confused about what happened or even embarrassed. Often, patients fear not being believed and may even be intimidated by their abusers if they confront them.
These fears are not entirely unfounded. Medical boards and officials often allow physicians to continue practicing after allegations of abuse arise. Instead of revoking a physician’s license, they suspend it for a period of time or put limited restrictions on practicing. Hospitals and medical clinics do not always report sexual abuse to law enforcement. Instead, they quietly dismiss offending physicians.
It is important that victims of doctor sexual abuse have a strong advocate by their side who can help them.
We Hold Doctors, Nurses, and Staff Accountable for Sexual Abuse of Children
Connecticut’s highest court released the landmark decision of Tim Doe v. St. Francis Hospital. Tim Doe was sexually abused from 1968 to 1972, as a boy, by Dr. George Reardon. We filed a lawsuit on behalf of Tim, and we tried the case in 2011 to a jury that awarded Tim $2.75 million against the hospital. Tim’s joy was short-lived as the hospital filed an appeal. However, after waiting for almost two years, the Supreme Court affirmed Tim’s victory.
In addition, the court affirmed that when a company, a school, a church or anyone else has custody of a child, it must take steps to protect the child from harm.