Until 2017, Dr. Ricardo Cruciani was a well-known neurologist who specialized in treating numerous conditions that standard health care practitioners were unfamiliar with. In that year, he surrendered his medical license after being accused of sexual misconduct against his patients, and in 2021, he faced charges of 35 felony counts of rape, aggravated sexual abuse, and similar crimes. The Manhattan District Court convicted him on 12 counts in August 2022.
Shortly after his conviction and prior to his scheduled sentencing in September 2022, Dr. Cruciani was found dead from suicide in his cell at Rikers Island. However, victims can still pursue civil litigation over his unlawful actions. If you were his patient and experienced sexual assault or abuse of any kind from him, an attorney from Phillips Law Group working on Dr. Ricardo Cruciani sexual abuse lawsuits can help you explore your options to seek civil compensation.
Because Dr. Cruciani’s unique skillset and medical expertise made his services widely sought after, the medical facilities that employed him gave him significant authority, which allowed him to sexually harass and assault dozens of patients over a period lasting at least 15 years. As established in his criminal trial, Dr. Cruciani’s abuse often started with inappropriate comments and unwanted physical contact and gradually escalated to forcible touching, kissing, and non-consensual intercourse.
Furthermore, Dr. Cruciani routinely prescribed patients with excessive and dangerous amounts of addictive pain medications, intending to make them dependent on the drugs and subsequently on him to provide the medication when reputable physicians would not. Therefore, many women who have started lawsuits against Dr. Ricardo Cruciani suffered not only from sexual abuse but also from preventable drug addiction and chronic pain from their untreated neurological condition.
Even though Dr. Cruciani died, the hospitals and other medical organizations that employed him for years can still hold substantial civil liability for his actions. Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in Manhattan has been a defendant in civil litigation over their failure to prevent Dr. Cruciani from abusing patients in his care despite the hospital’s knowledge of his misconduct.
According to one claim filed in 2023, hospital administrators deliberately chose to ignore credible accusations of sexual misconduct made against Dr. Cruciani during his tenure there between 2001 and 2014, primarily because the doctor’s services were financially lucrative to the facility’s owners. The filing window opened by the Adult Survivors Act that allowed this particular sexual assault claim against Dr. Ricardo Cruciani to proceed has since closed, but suits over more recent abuse can still proceed.
A combination of personal lawlessness and institutional neglect directly led to potentially hundreds of women suffering from drug addiction and sexual abuse from Dr. Ricardo Cruciani. If you suffered abuse by Dr. Cruciani or have experienced sexual assault from another physician, you can seek civil restitution for the harm you have unjustly sustained.
Phillips Law Group has years of experience helping victims of sexual misconduct obtain comprehensive compensation while prioritizing their well-being. Contact their legal team today for a free, no-obligation consultation about Dr. Ricardo Cruciani sexual abuse lawsuits.
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