In Suffolk County Superior Court in Massachusetts, an unnamed plaintiff has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit suing pediatrician doctor Melvin D. Levine for sexual assault, battery, and abuse from 1980 to 1985. This is not the first time that Dr. Levine has been accused of sexual abuse by a former patient.
Several men have stepped forward claiming that the doctor sexually abused them at Children’s Hospital Boston when they were boys. At least four of the men are suing him in court. All of the men describe similar incidents of being abused by the doctor during medical examinations.
In this latest lawsuit, John Doe No. 5 says that Levine conducted unnecessary physical exams on him when he was a boy and engaged in acts of sexual assault, including masturbation and genital touching. He is also accusing Dr. Levine of making threats to assault him and trying to engage in other acts of sexual assault. The plaintiff says that he repressed the sex abuse memories for years until he took his own son to the doctor for the exam.
Between 1971 and 1985, Dr. Levine spent 14 years as the chief of ambulatory pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Boston He is a bestselling author.
Dr. Levine, who has treated over 15,000 child patients, claims he is completely innocent of any allegation. Children’s Hospital says they never received any complaints about him while he was at the hospital.
Sex Abuse
A person who is sexually abused can file criminal charges against the perpetrator. He or she can also sue the abuser in civil court. The charges and lawsuits must be filed within the statute of limitations of the state where the abuse took place.
Sex abuse can result in personal injury to the victim, which can include physical, emotional, and mental injuries that can lead to alcoholism, depression, promiscuity, drug abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, suicidal tendencies, sexual problems, intimacy issues, and broken relationships. It may be impossible to fully recover from the damages inflicted by sexual abuse, and medical and therapy costs can be very high.
There may, however, be civil remedies available to you for the harm that you or your child has suffered.
Lawsuit targets former pediatrician at Children’s, Boston.com, March 31, 2008
Sex abuse claims filed against former Boston doctor, NECN.com, March 31, 2008
Related Web Resources:
Biography of Dr. Mel Levine, All Kinds of Minds
Children’s Hospital Boston