2023-09-26 04:08:00
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Ten women have accused a high-profile Oahu pediatrician of sex abuse and misconduct, and five have now filed a civil suit once morest him.
The remaining five are expected to join the claim once morest Dr. Gregory Yim.
The women are mothers of his patients at Windward Pediatrics in Kaneohe.
According to court records, Yim would offer to treat the women for weight loss.
“What he would say was I can help you with that, make an appointment at my office in town,” said Crystal Glendon, attorney for the women.
Glendon says Yim would then improperly diagnose the women with Attention Deficit Disorder. “He wouldn’t run diagnostic testing, he wouldn’t do any of the normal tests that a doctor would do in order to reach that diagnosis,” she said.
Glendon said Yim would prescribe Adderall to treat the disorder because it is a controlled substance that requires monthly doctor visits for refills.
It was during those visits, the lawsuit alleges, that “he began to repeatedly sexually abuse and molest the women by performing unnecessary breast examinations on them.”
Kelli Ponce, another attorney for the plaintiffs, said Yim was preying upon the fears of the clients. “Breast cancer is very scary. We all know somebody who has died of breast cancer,” said Ponce, adding that Yim used that fear to inappropriately touch the women.
Three of the women named in the lawsuit did not want their names used in this news story.
But they all said they trusted Yim, who was their children’s pediatrician since birth.
“I trusted him so much that I referred a lot of people to him,” said one woman.
Another said she was shocked by Yim’s behavior.
“What he did was not standard practice. That it was not routine,” she said.
Yim was named a “top doctor” by Honolulu Magazine in 2019 for his work in pediatric neurology He served on many boards and is well-respected in the pediatric community.
Yim’s attorney, Thomas Cook, said in a statement that “the allegations being made are disputed and the lawsuit will be defended.”
Cook said they would have no further comment on the matter while it remains in litigation.
No criminal charges were filed once morest Yim. A hearing in the civil suit is set for Oct. 9.
2023 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
1695707549
#civil #suit #Hawaii #pediatrician #accused #sexually #assaulting #mothers #patients
