Decatur doctor: Patients' sex abuse claims 'utterly false'

Decatur Daily - 6/3/2018

June 03--A Decatur doctor says allegations in a civil lawsuit that he had inappropriate sexual contact with several female patients are "utterly false," and he hopes the lawsuit will collapse when he is found innocent of related criminal charges.

"I have never harassed or assaulted any human being in my life, male or female, physically or sexually," said Dr. Michael Dick of Alabama Medicine and Rheumatology. "Never in my life, as a doctor or before I was a doctor."

A lawsuit filed last week by five patients and the niece of one of the patients includes claims that Dick kissed and hugged them without consent, rubbed his genitals against their legs and groped their breasts. The alleged conduct took place from September 2016 to December 2017. According to the complaint, one used a phone to videotape the inappropriate contact. Two of the plaintiffs immediately filed criminal charges against Dick, according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs used fictitious names in the complaint. Decatur police spokeswoman Emily Long confirmed in February that criminal complaints were filed against him by four people alleging harassment, assault and sexual abuse. The first was reported Nov. 1 and the last was reported Feb. 6.

"None of plaintiffs invited these actions, asked for them, wished for them, or gained pleasure from them," according to the complaint, which was filed Wednesday by Huntsville attorney Eric Artrip. "Plaintiffs' trust in Michael Dick was turned to fear, distress and anxiety ... ."

The complaint alleges that nurses and others at Alabama Medicine and Rheumatology facilitated the sexual assaults "by turning a blind eye to the suffering of those women Dick has chosen to victimize."

Dick on Friday said a nurse did witness his consultations with patients and she will testify that he did nothing wrong. He said two of the plaintiffs in the civil case filed misdemeanor charges that will be heard this month in criminal court.

"They weren't just exaggerating," Dick said of the women filing claims against him. "These are totally and completely falsified from beginning to end. I had a nurse in the room to witness my encounter with these women on both occasions. She'll be in court to testify their charges are completely and utterly false. There's not a shred of truth to them at all."

Dick declined to provide contact information for the nurse, saying she would not be willing to speak to the media.

"I'm not supposed to speak with you," Dick said, because his attorney would advise against it. "But I can't incriminate myself because I didn't do any of it."

Artrip said all of his clients have now filed complaints against Dick with the Decatur Police Department. He said the video taken by one of his clients substantiates her claims, but is not the main reason he filed the lawsuit.

"The videotape is one person and one event. It's a 30-minute office visit, and that does not a case like this make, in my opinion," Artrip said. "What does make this a case worth our attention is the women's demeanor and our gut feel in meeting with them. And probably more importantly, the consistency of the statements they provided relative to the timing of his behavior and what he did when he was acting inappropriately."

Dick said a rheumatologic exam requires significant physical contact.

"You have to manipulate every joint," he said. "To do a thorough rheumatologic exam, you start in the neck and you work your way down to the toes. Most patients are not familiar with what a rheumatologist does, so from the beginning it is somewhat uncomfortable for some patients, male or female."

One of the plaintiffs in the civil suit alleges she took her ward, a mentally disabled and quadriplegic niece, with her when she went to an appointment with Dick. The doctor rubbed the disabled 25-year-old's breasts, according to the complaint, and then rubbed his genitals against the 59-year-old aunt's leg.

Two of the plaintiffs allege Dick kissed them on the mouth without their consent.

"Completely and utterly false," Dick said. "I hug patients sometimes. I'll give them a hug to console them. I've done that with men. The people who come to see me are in pain, and they've been suffering a long time."

Another plaintiff alleges Dick groped and kissed her, and then asked that she meet him and his girlfriend at a bar. He called her repeatedly the following weekend, according to the complaint.

Dick said Friday his practice was still open and he had lost none of his thousands of patients as a result of the allegations.

The general counsel for the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners, Wilson Hunter, said the board is investigating the claims. He declined to speak about the specific investigation. If the board decides to file charges, he said, they are heard by the Medical Licensure Commission.

"In some cases, revocation of license is the only means by which the public can be protected," Hunter said. "In other cases, the board or the commission may restrict and monitor the practice of a physician who has actively engaged in a rehabilitation program."

Artrip said he is working with the medical board, but has not yet shared the video with it.

Dick said he moved to Decatur in 1998 after completing a rheumatology fellowship at Stanford Medical School. He said he chose Decatur to be close to his brother, a neurologist who died two years ago.

He said he was accused of similar misconduct about 10 years ago.

"I'm not going to go into it," he said. "There was one time years ago when I was found innocent. It was a similarly ridiculous claim. ... It came and went."

He claims the plaintiffs are just after money, and that one of them is angry because he refused to prescribe pain medication for her.

"It's abhorrent to me," Dick said. "I'm embarrassed. I'm not used to this kind of attention. I am humbled by my patients, by their concern. I have over a hundred patients that are willing to testify on my behalf in court, and that's without asking any of them."

-- eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435. Twitter @DD_Fleischauer.

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