14 DAY TRIAL // The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore is facing multiple lawsuits over the conduct of a gynecologist who allegedly videotaped patients.
Dr. Nikita Levy wore a pen around his neck and secretly videotaped patients, reports say.
CBS Baltimore writes that Levy committed suicide when he found out that the spying would be looked into. Police found him dead in his home, in Towson, before the lawsuits were tried.
The hospital is left to face complaints from hundreds of women that fear having been recorded during their exams. While the doctor has examined about 1,000 patients at Johns Hopkins, there is no telling how many of them he has spied on.
“One of the overwhelming repeat kind of questions you get is how did this happen? Where are the videos? How do I know if I’m on one of these videos?,” informs attorney Scott Lucas of the Cochran Firm, representing some of the victims.
Other 685 women have filed a suit in Baltimore City Circuit Court, employing attorney Jonathan Schochor for their legal defense. They claim their privacy rights have been violated, not having given their consent for the recordings.
“I had no idea that this man was capable of doing such acts,” patient Tyesha Bell tells reporters.
“I believe frankly that each and every patient of this doctor who learned of his conduct, his malicious wanton unlawful outrageous conduct, has suffered damage,” Schochor notes.
Law experts discussing the incident have noted that the nature of hospital officials' reaction to the incident will determine their liability.
“Did Johns Hopkins notify them appropriately and in a timely fashion or at all?” asked law professor Anita Allen.
“Words cannot express how deeply sorry we are for every patient whose privacy may have been violated,” a spokesperson for the hospital says in a written statement.