On October 10, PCVA filed an additional 19 lawsuits on behalf of patients who allege they were sexually violated and abused by Dr. Darius Paduch during medical examinations while Dr. Paduch was practicing medicine at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and/or Northwell Health. The latest wave of filings adds to the slew of mounting allegations of serial abuse of patients who came to Dr. Paduch for his expertise in urology but were subjected to degrading, sexually violating, and medically unfounded acts.
The latest round of filings brings the number of civil lawsuits involving Dr. Paduch to over 150, many which span over a decade and include minors.
The plaintiffs claim they were sexually abused by Dr. Paduch during examinations and both hospitals exhibited a repeated pattern of negligence and dismissal of explicit concerns, taking no measures to safeguard their patients despite receiving multiple, serious complaints of Dr. Paduch’s sexual misconduct dating back to at least 2011.
Neither of the hospitals have notified past patients of Dr. Paduch that he has been arrested for his sexual abuse of patients or that there are over 150 sexual abuse cases involving him, despite having that information at their disposal. The hospitals’ failure to notify their patients is particularly egregious – and perhaps intentional – given that the window for filing sex abuse claims under the Adult Survivors Act in New York closes in less than two months.
Partner Mallory Allen, who represents over 100 victims of Dr. Paduch, stressed that survivors should file their lawsuits by November 23, 2023, in order to protect their legal rights for the abuse they suffered: “We hope the victims of Dr. Paduch know that they are not alone in this ordeal, and that this goes beyond a single rogue physician. These hospitals are complicit in failing to protect their patients. Even after being made aware of the abuse, both institutions failed to properly investigate these concerns and allowed Dr. Paduch to continue practicing medicine and seeing patients for over a decade – and, to this day, have still not informed their patients of the truth behind his sexual abuse or their rights to recourse. In order to preserve their legal rights, survivors need to take action before the Adult Survivors Act window closes.”
Attorneys from PCVA who filed the first lawsuit against Dr. Paduch in December 2022 have continued to hear from an outpouring of Dr. Paduch’s former patients nationwide – underscoring a harrowing chronicle of sexual misconduct and institutional negligence as both hospitals failed to address alarming patient and employee complaints for over a decade. Since Dr. Paduch’s arrest in April, neither hospital has attempted to inform Dr. Paduch’s past patients that they may have been victims of sexual assault or inappropriate and/or unnecessary medical treatment – continuing their disturbing pattern of leaving patients in the dark, even in the wake of a long, growing list of allegations and his federal indictment.
If you or someone you know may have been abused by Dr. Paduch, please reach out to PCVA by filling out our online contact form.