Over 8,000 women were victims of a rogue gynecologist at Johns Hopkins who secretly took sexually explicit pictures and videos of his patients’ during his examinations. Dr. Nikita Levy, a gynecologist who began practicing at Johns Hopkins in 1988, had been photographing his patients using hidden cameras in his exam room, including some he carried with him in the form of a pen. These patients filed a class action lawsuit, which later settled for $190 million, all of which was to compensate these women for the psychological trauma they experienced knowing Dr. Levy violated their trust when they were at their most vulnerable.
There are two types of damages for civil tort-related lawsuits: economic and non-economic. The economic damages are tangible and usually are comprised of things like medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages represent the intangible effect this injury has caused a person. These are things like pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and inability to perform certain ordinary activities. In a case like this, the only applicable damages would be noneconomic, which can be problematic when trying to value how much these claims are worth because they are very subjective.
Here, the court and attorneys set up a team of psychologists and social workers to try and determine what each women would be entitled to. They conducted lengthy interviews of everyone to try and determine how this experience has affected their respective lives. Some women experienced mild embarrassment while others are undergoing counseling and are fearful of returning to any doctor’s office or hospital. The women were ultimately placed in one of four categories based on their “negative experiences, perceptions, and symptoms,” and received anywhere between $1,750 and $26,048 in compensation for their injuries. Understandably, some women are unsatisfied with this result and are seeking an appeal for more money.
The attorneys at Leeseberg Tuttle have experience handling all kinds of claims against medical professionals. If you or someone you love has been harmed at the hands of a medical provider, please contact our office today to see if we can be of assistance to you.