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VANCOUVER, Wash. - A lawsuit was filed against Kaiser Permanente in Clark County, Washington, alleging the healthcare company failed to protect patients against a doctor with decades of child sexual abuse accusations.
The lawsuit, filed by a "Jane Doe" on Monday, claims Kaiser Permanente knew the danger presented by pediatrician Dr. Michael Wilmington, but did not protect patients from him.
Wilmington was under criminal investigation for child sexual abuse and possession of child pornography.
According to a series of reports from FOX 12 Oregon, Dr. Wilmington was accused of hosting "naked sleepovers" with young children at his home in La Center. On May 1, KPTV reported that a warrant was issued for Wilmington's arrest, and police subsequently found him dead from apparent suicide in Lewis County.
WA pediatrician dead amid child abuse investigation
According to attorneys with PCVA Law in Seattle, several people have come forward alleging patterns of inappropriate conduct during medical appointments with Dr. Wilmington. They alleged Wilmington conducted medically inappropriate genital and breast examinations without gloves, required unnecessary nudity and exposed his pediatric patients to explicit material, all while there were no other adults present. Attorneys say new court records contain more allegations, including sexual misconduct with children and images of child pornography found at Wilmington's home.
The lawsuit claims that parents and staff reported this alleged misconduct to Kaiser Permanente many times over the course of years, and that seemingly no effort was made to investigate Wilmington, report the misconduct to police or protect patients.
Allegations date back as far as 20 years ago, PCVA Law states.
Survivors come forward
"I trusted Dr. Wilmington and the institutions that employed him to keep me safe. To hear that complaints were met with inaction is devastating," wrote Jane Doe. "I hope this lawsuit shines light onto why reports were ignored, and helps ensure that no one else is harmed the way I was."
"We are seeing a pattern of institutions ignoring serious complaints that put their patients at risk," said PCVA Law partner Mallory Allen. "We want to know exactly what institutions knew, when they knew it, and whether appropriate action was taken to protect children because these families deserve answers."
Attorneys hope the lawsuit encourages more victims to come forward, either by calling (206) 451-8260 or visiting their website.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from a press release by Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC, as well as reporting from FOX 12 Oregon.