A U.S. army gynecologist with an alleged history of sexual misconduct stands accused of capturing secret videos of patients under his care while employed at a medical clinic in Texas, according to a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of the Army on Monday.
A news release outlining the basis of the lawsuit, which was filed in Bell County, alleges that Dr. Blaine McGraw, an OB-GYN at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood in Texas, secretly videotaped and photographed dozens of patients during medical procedures and engaged in “improper sexual touching” under the guise of medical care through his tenure at the base and another army medical centre in Hawaii.
He is also accused of performing unnecessary procedures, making crude remarks and violating army medical protocols that require nursing staff to be present during examinations.
A former patient of McGraw, referred to as Jane Doe 1 in the case, brought the lawsuit, according to National Trial Law, the firm representing her.
According to The Guardian and NBC News, which viewed the court documents, the lawsuit says army leadership allowed McGraw to continue practicing despite receiving sexual misconduct complaints for years.
“By doing so, the Army gave cover to a predator in uniform,” the lawsuit says.
McGraw was suspended over the allegations in late October and is under investigation by the army, according to a statement on Fort Hood’s website.
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It said it was contacting all patients under his care during his tenure, even if “there is currently no indication to believe they have been affected by the alleged misconduct currently under investigation.”
A military official told NBC News that army investigators have contacted at least 25 women after they found images and videos on McGraw’s phone showing female body parts.
“Upon information and belief, investigators recovered thousands of photographs and videos from his phone, taken over the course of multiple years, depicting scores of female patients, many of whom remain unidentified,” the lawsuit says.
It states that the first complaints against McGraw were filed “years earlier” when he was employed at the Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. According to The Guardian, the lawsuit says that army leadership “laughed off credible allegations.”
Jane Doe’s lawyer, Andrew Cobos, told NBC that his client has been married to an active-duty officer with more than 20 years of service, adding that he is representing more than 45 women who claim to have been sexually assaulted by McGraw.
The lawsuit states that Jane Doe first became aware of the videos last month after receiving a call from army investigators requesting she come to Fort Hood for an interview, reports NBC News.
During the meeting, investigators showed her a number of screenshots taken from videos on McGraw’s phone.
The images, according to the lawsuit, “unmistakably depicted” parts of her body during an examination that took place three days earlier.
Investigators told her that McGraw had recorded “nearly the entirety of her final appointment, including both the breast and pelvic examinations, without her knowledge or consent,” the lawsuit says.
After the interview was over, Jane Doe “sat in her parked car and cried,” the lawsuit says. “Her sense of safety had been shattered.”
In a statement to NBC News, the woman said she felt “violated, exposed and afraid” as a result of the ordeal.
“It’s a wound that doesn’t heal,” she said.
“How can anyone feel safe again when the very institution meant to protect them becomes the source of their trauma?”
Fort Hood said that several investigations were underway to “examine all facets of the issue, including systems, clinical processes, policies, and other areas.”
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