This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
Five new lawsuits were issued against Providence Health & Services, Kadlec Regional Medical Center, and Kadlec Clinic – Associated Physicians for Women due to the medical centers’ alleged failure to protect their patients from suspected sexual abuse by Dr. Mark Mulholland.
Several patients submitted formal complaints to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) requesting that Mulholland’s medical license be revoked.
According to attorneys with Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala (PCVA) PLLC representing the alleged victims, patients have come forward claiming they were sexually abused during routine OBGYN visits, prenatal and postnatal appointments, and surgical procedures related to pregnancy loss.
“It’s becoming clear that Dr. Mulholland was serially abusing his patients – and Kadlec knew about it for years,” Mallory Allen, an attorney for the victims and partner at PCVA Law, said in a prepared statement. “Based on the dozens of women we have spoken to in just the last week, this could be one of the biggest known cases of sexual abuse in a medical setting in Washington State history. We’ve heard from patients and former staff that Kadlec was aware of Dr. Mulholland’s disgusting behavior as far back as 2005, but instead of upholding their legal and ethical obligations to take action to protect patients from sexual abuse — these medical institutions turned a blind eye and enabled it.
“We anticipate there are many more survivors of Dr. Mulholland’s abuse, and encourage anyone who may have been abused to come forward and seek the justice they deserve,” Allen continued.
Seven lawsuits have been filed in addition to several DOH complaints. The complaints date back to 2005.
Instances of alleged sexual assault
In 2005, a former employee (who was also a patient) reported sexually inappropriate comments made by Dr. Mulholland to the office manager at Kadlec. She was told, “That is just Mulholland being Mulholland.”
Another lawsuit cited a 2017 incident where a patient reported that Mulholland allegedly conducted a vaginal exam without wearing gloves, physically restrained her during the exam, and made inappropriate contact.
Two more alleged instances occurred in 2020. One patient called the front desk of the Kadlec Clinic to report Dr. Mulholland for badgering her 16-year-old daughter about her sex life, while another patient called the front desk of the Kadlec Clinic to report Mulholland for physically blocking her from exiting the examination room. That patient claimed Mulholland insisted on performing a pelvic exam, and only let the patient go after she threatened to call 911.
An additional account from June 2023 alleged that a patient was left in pain and bleeding for days following an invasive exam, during which Mulholland also allegedly made sexually inappropriate comments.
Plaintiffs argued that the medical centers “dismissed” numerous staff and patient concerns. The Washington State Medical Commission’s findings align with the survivors’ claims, stating that the patient and employee concerns were not adequately addressed.
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