Washington OB/GYN Faces Sexual Assault Lawsuits Brought By More Than 100 Women

Dr. Mark E. Mulholland faces charges of unprofessional conduct and abuse from the Washington Medical Commission, yet there have been no enforcement actions against him.

More than 100 women have filed lawsuits accusing a Washington obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) of sexual assault and harassment, claiming the hospital where he worked ignored years of complaints and allowed the misconduct to continue unchecked.

Dr. Mark E. Mulholland served patients at Providence St. Joseph and Kadlec Regional Medical Center for years, during which former patients say he repeatedly engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior and verbal abuse. Many also say the hospitals failed to take action, despite mounting reports of misconduct.

In one complaint (PDF) filed earlier this month in Washington State Superior Court in King County, a woman identified as Jane Doe 100 claims Mulholland conducted an unusually long, gloveless breast exam in August 2022, then aggressively opened her legs for a vaginal exam, ignored her request for a plastic speculum. The OB-GYN then reportedly told her she was “perfect down there,” and asked if she was single, according to the sexual assault lawsuit. 

When she responded that her husband was in the waiting room, he abruptly ended the exam and told her to come back in a few years.

Another claim (PDF), filed by “Jane Doe 101” on August 15, alleges he shoved his whole hand into her vagina without warning during a post-surgical examination in 2022, then laughed when she cried out in pain.

Plaintiffs allege the hospitals were aware of concerns about Mulholland as early as 2003, yet ignored both formal complaints and patient requests to see a different OB-GYN.

Some of those complaints include:

• A 2003 report that Mulholland shoved his fingers in a patient’s anus for no reason and without any warning
• A report from a patient in 2012 that he had pulled down her pants and told her she had “a good body”
• A December 2015 complaint that Mulholland had been verbally abusive and performed long pelvic exams, with no discernable purpose
• When another patient complained about his vaginal examinations to other doctors in November 2017, she was told “we have heard that about him before”

“Rather than investigate the complaints and take appropriate action against Mulholland, Defendants concealed the truth and instead lured their trusting patients into their hospital and examination rooms to be verbally, sexually and physically abused by him, and then billed for his abuses masked as legitimate patient care.”

– Doe vs. Providence St. Joseph Health Et Al

In April, the Washington Medical Commission filed a complaint against Mulholland (PDF) for unprofessional conduct and abuse. The commission noted that he victimized patients and staff, who went ignored when they spoke out against him, indicating the hospitals “rationalized, normalized, and minimized” his inappropriate behaviors. 

While no enforcement actions have been taken against Dr. Mulholland to date, women who have been sexually or verbally abused are now pursuing lawsuits against Dr. Mulholland and the facilities where this conduct was allowed to occur for decades. 

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