Everyone who seeks medical help from any kind of medical professional has a right to expect compassionate, high-quality, and respectful treatment from their primary care physician and from everyone who assists that physician. Unfortunately, there are new examples every single year of doctors who not only allow their patients to suffer preventable harm through reckless or careless treatment, but who knowingly harm their patients by molesting, assaulting, or otherwise sexually abusing them.
Just like sexual misconduct by anyone else in any other position in society, sexual abuse by doctors can absolutely serve as valid grounds for a civil lawsuit in many situations. That said, this kind of claim can also be challenging in ways that many other sexual assault claims are not, so having the support of a seasoned sexual abuse lawyer from Phillips Law Group can be vital to achieving the best possible result from your case.
A doctor who forcibly engages in sexual contact and/or intercourse with a patient without their consent has committed an act of sexual assault for which they could be held civilly and criminally liable. However, there are many other more subtle forms of sexual abuse that a medical professional may engage in which could still justify legal action in civil—and possibly criminal—court, including:
It is also possible to file suit over misconduct like a doctor overmedicating a patient to make them more susceptible to abuse, engaging in sexual contact or intercourse with a sedated patient, and conditioning treatment on the provision of sexual favors. A seasoned legal professional can offer guidance about whether a particular scenario could give rise to a civil claim during a free, no-obligation consultation.
An individual doctor who sexually abuses and/or assaults a patient in their care can be held personally liable for both economic and non-economic repercussions of their actions, including costs of additional medical care, lost working capacity, and numerous forms of physical and psychological trauma. However, given how severe and long-lasting the effects of sexual abuse can be, a single physician may not have the personal assets or insurance coverage necessary to provide adequate compensation for all damages stemming from their misconduct.
Fortunately, it is often possible to hold medical organizations vicariously liable for the misconduct of one of their employees, or even directly liable for knowingly condoning or negligently allowing sexual abuse to occur in one of their facilities. Once again, this is something a skilled lawyer can go into further detail about during a private initial meeting.
No one deserves to be subjected to sexual abuse of any kind under any circumstances, and certainly not while receiving treatment from a medical professional whom they should have been able to trust. Nevertheless, sexual abuse by doctors is more common than many people know, and it can have life-altering consequences, which can be tricky to demand fair compensation for through an ensuing civil claim.
Representation from compassionate legal counsel can make a world of difference in how effectively you can pursue a claim like this and what kind of outcome that claim has for you. Call today to discuss your legal options with a member of the Phillips Law Group team.
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