Attorneys Seek Potential Victims Of Hopkins Gynecologist
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The lawsuits are piling up against Johns Hopkins Hospital. More patients come forward, afraid they were videotaped by their gynecologist during exams.
Rochelle Ritchie has more on the growing legal problems.
Hundreds, if not thousands of women, went to Dr. Nikita Levy and now many of them are seeking legal counsel during this shocking investigation.
Saturday at the Hilton Baltimore dozens of possible victims of Dr. Nikita Levy met with attorneys with the Cochran Firm to learn more about their violated privacy rights.
"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?" said attorney Scott Lucas.
Levy--a praised gynecologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital--is accused of using a camera on a pen to secretly record his devoted patients during their examinations. He committed suicide in his Towson home before the investigation into his secret taping practices was revealed.
Law professors now weighing in say while some rights are obvious like not being recorded without giving consent, others could go ignored.
"Did Johns Hopkins notify them appropriately and in a timely fashion or at all?" asked law professor Anita Allen.
The first lawsuit against Johns Hopkins Hospital has been filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court by Attorney Jonathan Schochor. His firm is representing 685 patients of Levy.
"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," he said.
Others, who trusted Levy in their most vulnerable position, are going up against the hospital on their own--like Tyesha Bell.
"I had no idea that this man was capable of doing such acts," she said.
The doctor had upwards of 1,000 women visit him during his time at Johns Hopkins, and many are left to wonder if they may have been recorded by Levy.
Johns Hopkins says co-workers notified security on Feb. 4 about Levy. He was fired on Feb. 8.
Johns Hopkins has remained tight-lipped about the investigation, only releasing a statement saying:
"Words cannot express how deeply sorry we are for every patient whose privacy may have been violated."
