Med Mal News

Johns Hopkins Health System of Baltimore has agreed to pay $190 million to settle a class action suit brought by thousands of women who were secretly photographed and/or filmed during exams by gynecologist Dr. Nikita Levy. The doctor, who had worked at Johns Hopkins for 25 years, used a pen-like camera hanging from a cord around his neck to surreptitiously record the women's exams, then later stored these recordings on his home computer. Dr. Levy committed suicide shortly after his actions came to light. Although none of the women are identified in the recordings, and their faces are not visible, plaintiff attorneys contended ' and Johns Hopkins agreed ' that they were traumatized by the revelation that their privacy had been violated by a trusted medical professional. In a statement issued July 21, Johns Hopkins Medicine said, “We have come to an agreement that the plaintiffs' attorneys and Johns Hopkins Health System believe is fair and properly balances the concerns of thousands of plaintiffs with obligations the Health System has to provide ongoing and superior care to the community. It is our hope that this settlement ' and findings by law enforcement that images were not shared ' helps those affected achieve a measure of closure.” See bit.ly/1xp1naR.