Lawsuit Filed On Behalf Of Kaiser Patients Who Were Sexually Assaulted By A Former Kaiser Physician

BALTIMORE, Aug. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, and the Law Offices of Mark C. Miller filed a class action lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente, the national healthcare conglomerate, on behalf of all Kaiser patients of Dr. Bryan Williams, a former Kaiser physician whose license was suspended after multiple women came forward and accused Dr. Williams of sexually assaulting them during their physical examinations at Kaiser. The Maryland State Board of Physicians suspended Dr. Williams's medical license after charging him with "immoral and unprofessional conduct in the practice of medicine." The lawsuit named Dr. Williams and his former employer, Kaiser, as defendants. 

The lawsuit alleges that Dr. Williams was a pain management doctor who treated vulnerable patients suffering from long-term pain and, it is alleged, that Dr. Williams took advantage of this vulnerability to victimize his patients.  As referenced within the lawsuit, patients complained to the Maryland Board of Physicians that they felt powerless to challenge Dr. Williams' behavior because he was a doctor and one patient was quoted as saying that she felt humiliated during the assault but felt that she "just had to deal with it."

The lawsuit alleges that at least as early as November 2012, Dr. Williams inappropriately and unlawfully sexually assaulted his patients under the guise of a physical examination. The lawsuit further alleges that Kaiser knew of Dr. Williams's inappropriate behavior as early as May 2013 when one of Dr. Williams's patients reported to Kaiser that Dr. Williams had sexually assaulted her.  However, Kaiser failed to report him and continued to employ Dr. Williams and to permit him unfettered accesses to female patients without any supervision or intervention to ensure patient safety.  

The lawsuit further alleges that Kaiser waited until January 2014 to address Dr. Williams about his alleged conduct and, even then, merely required that Dr. Williams complete a continuing medical education course that offered instruction regarding the importance of having a chaperone during patient examinations as a precaution against potential allegations.  As referenced within the lawsuit, the Maryland Board of Physicians found that Dr. Williams misrepresented that he had completed the course and continued to sexually assault patients.

The lawsuit further alleges that Kaiser failed to obtain informed consent from Dr. Williams's patients, failed to timely, appropriately, and adequately investigate the claims that Dr. Williams had sexually assaulted, battered, and otherwise inappropriately and unlawfully touched patients prior to June 19, 2014, and breached its duty of care in that it negligently failed to timely, adequately, and appropriately supervise Dr. Williams when he physically examined patients. The lawsuit further alleges that despite ample notice and opportunity, Kaiser negligently failed to provide safe premises to its patients, free of the risk of harm and/or injury from Dr. Williams.  

Hassan Murphy, Managing Partner at Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, said today, "It is incomprehensible that Kaiser, a major national HMO, would continually fail in its obligations to warn and protect its patients when it knew that one of its physician employees was sexually assaulting its female patients." Murphy added, "Kaiser's failure to act on its patients' complaints and to permit Dr. Williams's unsupervised and unfettered access to unknowing patients reveals Kaiser's indifference to its patients' health, safety and wellbeing and a preference to keep secret critical information about one of its physicians which any of its patient would have wanted to know.  Kaiser should have immediately notified its patients of Dr. Williams's actions and Kaiser should have immediately stopped permitting Dr. Williams unsupervised access to vulnerable and trusting female patients.  For that, Kaiser is as responsible for the harm caused to their patients as is Dr. Williams." 

"But as is the case all too often, early reporting and notification would have cost Kaiser money and reputation and that was ultimately more important to Kaiser than the wellbeing of its patients.  We will not stop until these victims receive the justice they deserve," Murphy added.

About Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, P.A.  
Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, P.A. is a Baltimore-based law which specializes in complex civil, criminal and civil rights litigation. Our powerhouse legal team has a history of unrelenting dedication to its clients in Baltimore and across the country. Our team of seasoned trial lawyers have extensive experience in a wide variety of cases with success rates that dwarf national averages and are dedicated to providing smart strategies and creative approaches to complex litigation. Our team is driven and strategy-focused— characteristics that have helped us secure more than $700 million in verdicts and settlements, and our attorneys have won some of the largest verdicts in high-profile, high-stakes cases in some of the toughest jurisdictions around the country. Recently, the firm filed a class-action regarding the tragic Chattanooga school bus crash in which six children died. That matter is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Learn more at www.murphyfalcon.com 

*Each case is different. Past success does not guarantee a favorable result in any future case. 

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