Sexually assaulting 300 patients: Two hospitals accused of “deliberately” ignoring doctor's behavior.

Two Chicago hospitals are accused of “providing a platform” for a doctor to sexually assault more than 300 female patients, and choosing to ignore complaints against him for years, according to a lawsuit.

“Women reported. They reported over and over again. They were asked to question their experiences even as women. They were told that the abuse they complained about was medically necessary and normal,” the lawyer in the case, Simon Shenton, lamented in a press conference on Tuesday, according to the network. NBC News.

According to the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, Fabio Ortega, 77, allegedly abused more than 300 Spanish-speaking female patients, with some testimony dating back to 1989.

The septuagenarian, who was referred to Spanish-speaking patients because of his fluency in Spanish, allegedly took advantage of the fact that they spoke little or no English to perform “unnecessary pelvic exams” or ask them “intrusive” questions about their condition. Nationality, according to the lawsuit.

In one case, he allegedly compared the size of his fingers to the size of a patient's husband's genitals during an examination.

The doctor finally pleaded guilty in 2021 to sexually assaulting two patients, receiving a three-year prison sentence which he would have already served.

But the problem is that employees at North Shore Medical Group and Swedish Covenant Hospital, both now run by Endeavor Health, hid complaints against the doctor for years, unleashing continuing abuses.

“[Ils lui ont] The court document continued, according to American media, that she intentionally provided a platform for the sexual assault of hundreds of other patients.

Parker Stenar, another attorney for the plaintiffs, noted that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of only one of the more than 300 victims who contacted the law firm after the announcement, but more lawsuits are expected to follow soon.

He explained that it is not conceivable to take collective action despite the large number, as individual damages are at the same level from one case to another.

“Unfortunately, what is commonly seen is that minority patients are silenced by health care providers when they raise concerns or file complaints,” the attorney added.