West Virginia Doctor Indicted On Sexual Assault Charges
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A West Virginia physician indicted on charges of sexual assault has been accused in lawsuits of abusing his patients.
The Kanawha County grand jury indicted Dr. Steven R. Matulis, a gastroenterologist, on five counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
The Gazette-Mail reports some former patients of Matulis began filing civil lawsuits against the doctor more than two years ago. The lawsuits allege Matulis committed sexual misconduct against the patients. Earlier this month, there were more than a dozen lawsuits, including two potential class-action lawsuits, pending in Kanawha Circuit Court.
Charleston police opened an investigation into Matulis in late 2016.
According to the filed lawsuits, most of the patients said they were unconscious during the procedures in which they accuse Matulis of sexually assaulting them.
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