The accusations span four decades. Some women claim the gynecologist moaned as he groped them. Others claim he performed invasive examinations without wearing gloves, inflicted unnecessary pain, and made sexually degrading comments while seemingly providing medical services.
In total, 83 “Jane Does” have come forward against Dr. David H. Broadbent, an OB-GYN at Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, a town about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday. The women claim he not only abused and battered them in the examination room but systematically preyed upon women and girls for his own sexual gratification, leaving them “ashamed,” “disgusted,” and “vulnerable,” according to court documents filed as part of a civil suit.
Many plaintiffs’ experience of being treated by Broadbent—and their subsequent decision to come forward—mirror that of “Jane Doe H.P.,” according to a civil complaint filed in Utah’s 4th District.
H.P., a reference to her initials, claims she began seeing Broadbent in July 2020. During her first appointment, she claims he pulled her by the legs, without warning, down the examination table toward him in a sexual manner and inserted a speculum. According to the complaint, H.P. suddenly realized the medical tool had been removed and Broadbent just had his fingers inside her.
Though she claims the encounter left her shocked and uncomfortable, H.P. didn’t have much experience with gynecological examinations and therefore had no context for Broadbent’s treatment. She therefore continued scheduling appointments with him.
In at least two subsequent visits, H.P. alleges that Broadbent’s inappropriate behavior persisted, including making a mockery of vaginal exams as he performed them. She claims he joked that she hadn’t suffered a miscarriage when, in fact, she had. She also alleges that though nurses were privy to the encounters, they didn’t intervene.
But alleged victims like H.P. were not aware of the extent of Broadbent’s behavior, or the severity of it, until a female patient recounted her experiences with the doctor on a podcast in December 2021. It triggered a flood of responses from women across Utah with similar stories, including H.P., who began to understand just how egregious and widespread the OB-GYN’s alleged behavior was. One woman claims Broadbent unnecessarily “manually remove[d] her placenta” after she gave birth, inflicting “extreme pain.” Another alleges he joked that she must be a virgin based on how she responded to his touch.
The women also consistently reported that nurses in the room didn’t intervene. One woman claims in the suit that after Broadbent painfully groped her genitals, “The nurse just rolled her eyes, asked if he was done then quickly left.”
A lawsuit against Broadbent was first filed in February and listed four women as plaintiffs, including the woman who spoke out on the podcast, the Tribune reports. Forty-six more “Jane Does” joined the suit soon after. A second sister suit was filed Tuesday, listing an additional 33 women. In total, the women claim they were Broadbent’s patients from 1979 to 2022.
The Tribune also learned through a public records request that the Provo Police Department has “two open active investigations” related to Broadbent.
In March, David C. Epperson, Broadbent’s lawyer, told The Tribune: “Dr. Broadbent categorically denies all of the allegations of wrongdoing that are asserted in this lawsuit. Medical ethics prevent Dr. Broadbent from saying anything more, but he believes that time will prove that the charges in this lawsuit have no basis.”
Broadbent and other defendants listed in the suits, including Utah Valley Hospital and Intermountain Healthcare, have petitioned the judge to drop the cases, arguing the plaintiffs should have filed their complaints through the Utah Health Care Malpractice Act.
In response, the Jane Does’ lawyer claimed the reasoning was erroneous since “sexual abuse is not health care.” The firm, Gross & Rooney, said Broadbent’s alleged acts are “deserving of an orange jumpsuit, not the protection of a white coat.”
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