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Oakland/Macomb: DMC, Henry Ford didn't protect patients from 'sexual predator,' class action lawsuits say

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Abigail Nobel
(@mhf)
Member Admin
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 661
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The Detroit News updates the porn-producing doc story that broke last month. 

The way state licensing is set up, the health professions are self-policing. That only works if those who see something, say something.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2024/09/24/detroit-medical-center-henry-ford-didnt-protect-patients-from-sexual-predator-lawsuits-say/75357626007/

DMC, Henry Ford didn't protect patients from 'sexual predator,' class action lawsuits say

Kara Berg    |    September 24, 2024

 
Novi — A law firm has filed two class action lawsuits, in Wayne and Macomb counties, on behalf of the victims and possible victims of Rochester Hills doctor Oumair Aejaz, who police said they believe has sexually assaulted and taken photos and videos of hundreds or thousands of patients and other people in states of undress.

Aejaz has been charged with capturing images of five nude adults and children, and Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said there is likely more to come.

"This is, and I can't stress this enough, so much the tip of the iceberg," Bouchard said at an August press conference. "This individual potentially is one of the worst I've ever seen. Because there's no particular category. It's not just children, it's not just women, it's not just men. ... The victimization is so broad and the perversion is so great that we're just beginning to wrap our arms around it."

More:Sheriff: Charges against Oakland Co. doctor for videoing nude people 'tip of the iceberg'

Oumair Aejaz

 

Police found thousands of videos in Aejaz's home, taken in bathrooms, hospital rooms, changing rooms, closets, bedrooms and bathrooms over six years, Bouchard said. Most of the possible victims had not been identified as of the August press conference.

Aejaz's attorney, Mariell Lehman, did not respond for comment Tuesday.

The class action lawsuits filed by the Stinar Gould Grieco and Hensley law firm and the Bailey Glasser law firm said two women saw Aejaz in 2023, lawyer Parker Stinar said Tuesday. The lawsuits are against Aejaz as well as the Detroit Medical Center Sinai-Grace Hospital and Henry Ford Macomb Hospital.

“We are assessing the allegations made in the complaint, which appear to largely recount the information previously released by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office," said a spokesperson for Henry Ford Health. "We continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement, who conducted a security assessment of our building—in addition to a sweep we conducted. No unauthorized cameras or recording devices were found in those sweeps. Beyond this, we cannot comment on pending litigation.”

The DMC said in a statement that is it "committed to ensuring a safe environment for all patients who come to us for their care.  Dr. Oumair Aejaz does not have privileges to admit or care for patients at DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital or any DMC hospital and has not treated patients at the DMC since completing his residency in 2015, so we do not know of any basis for these allegations."

"Unfortunately, but yet again, medical institutions in Michigan have placed profits over people and have negligently provided a platform for a physician to sexually abuse and exploit patients for his own sexual gratification," Stinar said at a Tuesday press conference.

The lawsuits allege the hospitals gave Aejaz unfettered and unsupervised access to patients, which let him sexually assault and record thousands of people.

The lawsuit against Henry Ford involves an unnamed woman who lives in Chesterfield Township and was a patient of Aejaz's in May 2023 for back pain. She ultimately had back surgery and spent time recovering at the hospital. The Sinai-Grace lawsuit involves an unnamed Detroit woman who saw Aejaz in August 2023 for a regular pregnancy checkup and concerns about her asthma.

The lawsuits allege both women were recorded without their consent or knowledge while a patient. They did not know about this purportedly happening prior to the news of Aejaz's arrest breaking in August, according to the lawsuit.

"The Jane Does that have filed complaints looked to DMC and Henry Ford Macomb for safe and appropriate medical care," Stinar said. "These facilities provided these patients with a sexual predator."

Stinar and attorney Symone Shinton encouraged Aejaz's patients to come forward to them and to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, even if they do not know if they were recorded or assaulted while under his care. Stinar said women who had a fear that they were recorded can still join the class action lawsuit.

"Only with your bravery can we help identify as many survivors as possible and hold accountable institutions that should have seen this pattern and practice of abusing women and children and done something to stop it," Shinton said.

After the press conference, Stinar said her law firm had been approached by “dozens” of possible victims.

Aejaz was arrested Aug. 8 and charged Aug. 13 in Oakland County with producing child sexually abusive activity in August 2023, five counts of using computers to commit a crime and four counts of distributing or capturing images of an unclothed person. The charged activity ranges from 2020 to 2023.

If convicted, Aejaz would face maximum penalties ranging from five years in prison for capturing images of an unclothed person to seven years for using a computer to commit a crime to 20 years in incarceration for the child sexually abusive activity charge.

In August, Aejaz's attorney, Mariell Lehman, did not respond to a request for comment.


   
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