WASHINGTON — The former employer of a doctor accused of sexually assaulting patients is the subject of a class-action lawsuit in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
The suit was filed against Kaiser Permanente, which employed Dr. Bryan Williams at its Kensington and Largo medical centers. During the time of his employment, the anesthesiologist was accused by several female patients of touching them inappropriately during exams, according to the suit.
“It is revolting and it is vile what this man did,” said attorney Hassan Murphy, whose firm filed the lawsuit on Thursday in Prince George’s County Circuit Court.
Murphy claimed that so far, 12 women have come forward claiming they were victimized by Williams during examinations for pain management treatment. The lawsuit claims the medical services provider was made aware of allegations against Williams as early as May 2013 but failed to address them.
In a statement to WTOP, Kaiser Permanente spokesman Scott Weir said the company has no tolerance for behavior that puts patients at risk.
“We take allegations of misconduct very seriously, and we take action to protect our patients,” Weir said in an email.
Williams was terminated, Weir said, and the company reported him to the physician licensing boards in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. In addition, Weir said, Kaiser Permanente has reached out to the individuals raising the allegations.
In May 2016, the Maryland Board of Physicians suspended the doctor’s license after speaking with numerous women who said they were victims.
“We will not stop until we obtain justice for the victims of this terrible crime,” said Murphy, the plaintiffs’ attorney.
A Prince George’s County woman is the only one named in the class action suit. But Murphy said this case also covers the other patients who have come forward with claims, as well as any other patients who might want to join the suit.
Because it is unclear if any other patients will come forward with more allegations, Murphy said, a dollar amount has not been established for the damages being sought.
“The defendants have an obligation to tell us, to give us their records, to tell us when and how this was carried out,” said Murphy.
Williams has not been charged or convicted of any of the allegations being leveled against him. But in a statement, Prince George’s County police said it “has one open and active investigation into an allegation against Bryan Williams.”
“The matter was referred to the Prince George’s County state’s attorney’s office,” said the statement.
