A 43-year-old gynecologist has been charged with sexually assaulting a patient on two occasions. According to a news report in the Los Angeles Times, the Tarzana doctor is scheduled in court on September 18, 2012. He was arrested on two counts of assaulting a female patient and investigators are searching for other potential victims. The alleged victim says the doctor inappropriately touched her at a Northridge hospital on two occasions. During the second occasion he allegedly “ejaculated on her bed sheets.” The alleged victim took the bed sheet and turned it into the authorities. Prosecutors are going to request that the court order the doctor to suspend his practice until the criminal case is resolved.
Sexual battery in California can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending upon the criminal history of the defendant and the circumstances of the case. Misdemeanor sexual battery typically involves touching an intimate part of the body such as the breast, buttocks, groin, or sexual organ. The touch must be against the will of the victim and the touching must be for sexual arousal, gratification, or abuse. If these types of acts involved an unlawfully restrained or incapacitated victim, the charges may increase to a felony.
A defendant does not have to be convicted to experience the social and professional consequences of sexual battery allegations. It is common for individuals charged with a sex crime to lose their job and struggle to regain their reputation.
The knowledgeable Van Nuys criminal defense attorneys at Sitkoff & Hanrahan know how to fight sex crime charges, which have the potential to destroy an individual’s career and ruin his or her reputation. If you are facing such serious accusations, please call our offices right away at (866) 430-8383 for a no-consultation.