Cleveland Clinic Doctor Sexual Misconduct With Patients, Hospital Covered It Up

Betty P

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Special investigative story by USA Today about a surgeon who was accused of rape by two different patients, but remained on staff, treating patients for several years. One patient was allegedly drugged and raped a year after the first, though no information about it had been made available to patients or the public.

Confidential deals can obscure sexual misconduct allegations against doctors as Cleveland Clinic case shows

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ainst-doctors-alleged-rape-doctors/868921001/

There are a number of disturbing things about this story, including the way it was (or wasn't) handled by law enforcement and prosecutors.

Here's the story of the first patient who was assaulted:

The scene in Williams' office after the alleged rape on April 11, 2008, was nothing short of pandemonium, according to a report filed by the Westlake, Ohio, police department.

Patient Lachelle Duncan was receiving a rectal exam from Williams, the report said, when she jumped up and exclaimed the doctor had inserted his penis in her rectum and that she saw him holding it in his hand.

She ran out of the room without pants and shouted, "Why did he do it? Why did you do this?" Williams replied, "I don't know," with his head in his hands, according to an interview with medical assistant Patricia Bacha contained in the police report.

Williams explained to police the presence of semen in one of his examination rooms was the result of masturbation to relieve stress, the police report said.

Duncan's rape kit test proved inconclusive. The doctor took a polygraph, results were referred to a grand jury. A civil case was settled out of court, a criminal case was not pursued. The file, at the order of a county judge, was ordered expunged within a month after the second patient reported their sexual assault to the hospital ombudsman. Dr. Williams continued to see patients.

The next year, it's alleged to have happened again:

Kristin Fehr went to see Williams to have a hemorrhoid removed 10 months after Duncan did. On Feb. 6, 2009, Williams brought her into the examination room alone, she told police, gave her two white pills and a cup of water and said she needed to take the pills immediately.

Fehr recalled groggily getting on the table and just as hazily leaving the medical center with her then-boyfriend, who was waiting in the car.

In October 2014, Fehr's memories started to come back in flashes when something like a doctor's appointment would prompt them, she said in an interview and a letter USA TODAY reviewed that she sent to the Cleveland Clinic ombudsman.

She remembered being pushed from behind, turning and seeing Williams holding his penis. "Everything I was remembering was disturbing," Fehr said.



The first patient's case was kept secret. The second patient didn't know the first, but described a similar situation. She reported it to the hospital, but instead of firing him, the hospital was promoting him to patients, advertising him with positive articles online. Neither patient has ever spoken to the other.


Dr. Williams continued to work at Cleveland Clinic as a colorectal surgeon until about a month ago. He left to work at Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University. Since the story broke, he's been placed on leave and is not seeing patients.

Both settlement deals with the victims included "gag clauses" that prevented anyone from sharing the information about Dr. Williams. Nothing was put on his permanent record.
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-on-staff-report-says/?utm_term=.e319981f9e4f
A top hospital knew this surgeon was accused of raping patients but kept him on staff, report says
January 5 at 3:20 PM
[...]
Michael Shroge, a former Cleveland Clinic associate general counsel, told USA Today that health-care systems are “very often more interested in protecting their brand than protecting the health of patients.” The lawyer added that Ohio has some of the nation's broadest “protections affording confidentiality.”
[...]
 
Disgusting!! Why wasn't a nurse in the room during the exam??
 
In my opinion, before I would sign a confidentiality letter, my requirement would be that this incident is reported to the board of licensing. In fact, each lady needed to report it as soon as they told the hospital.

His medical license needs a ding on it so any future employers will be aware of his character.

My opinion only.
 
Sadly, I believe post #2 is correct. MHO

Thank you to SeesSeas for the legal link and thank you to Betty P. for the thread.
 
That's disgusting and vile. A nurse or tech should always be present. The world has gone mad!
 
Both settlement deals with the victims included "gag clauses" that prevented anyone from sharing the information about Dr. Williams. Nothing was put on his permanent record.

It sounds as though gag clauses should themselves be illegal.
 
Sadly, I believe post #2 is correct. MHO

Thank you to SeesSeas for the legal link and thank you to Betty P. for the thread.

Unfortunately I think this seems to be the case worldwide, often with much worse - sometimes - fatal consequences.
I also agree that gag clauses should be illegal.
And yes, thank you SeesSeas for the legal link and thanks Betty P. for this thread.
Definitely my opinion only.
 
Completely disagree. I think the victim should make that decision, not the government.

Some states have managed to establish some level of accountability by forbidding the abusive Dr.'s information from being kept confidential. If a settlement is made involving abuse of a patient, the file remains confidential but the charges are reported to the appropriate state medical licensing agency. Information about the victim is not shared.
 
Same pattern like with Penn State, Roman Catholic Church, BBC, USA Gymnastics, and Hollywood.
 
Ohio medical board investigating former Cleveland Clinic surgeon over rape allegations


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...nic-surgeon-over-rape-allegations/1044736001/

Chris Forshey, the medical board's investigations supervisor, interviewed a woman last week who suspects she could have been assaulted and asked to remain anonymous due to the nature of her allegation. Jennifer Davis, the woman's sister in law and a former Cleveland Clinic registered nurse, filed a medical board complaint on the alleged victim's behalf on Jan. 16.

The Cleveland Clinic now says Williams was required to have a chaperone when he was with female patients during the months Westlake, Ohio, police were investigating 2008 rape allegations, which were later settled confidentially. That didn't help Kristin Fehr, who alleges she was unexpectedly sedated and raped by Williams in 2009, but the memories didn't surface for five years.

The excuse below for not prosecuting the doctor is pretty lame, JMO

According to the police report in Fehr's case, prosecutors said the two cases would be stronger if they were presented to a grand jury together, but said that a judge would require them to be separated at trial so they declined to prosecute. Williams was not indicted by a grand jury in the first case and he was not charged in the second case either.

Also interesting that the doctor has an identical twin brother who lost his medical license for similar offenses against women patients.

Williams' identical twin brother, Bryan, lost his medical license in the Washington, D.C. area after several women accused him of sexual offenses, including anal rape. Ryan Williams told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he was long estranged from his brother and "horrified" by the accusations against his twin. His brother denied the allegations and has not been charged with any crime.
 
New legal questions in case involving former Cleveland Clinic surgeon accused of rape

https://www.chillicothegazette.com/...veland-clinic-surgeon-accused-rape/312079002/

The grand jury that declined to indict a former Cleveland Clinic surgeon accused of anal rape was given the results of a polygraph the doctor passed, which is so rare that it could justify releasing the proceeding's transcripts, according to Cuyahoga County Judge Michael Donnelly.

"The science behind polygraphs is suspect," says Donnelly. "That’s why it’s not admissible in court."
 

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