Lawsuit alleges women in CA prison were victims of sexual violence by 'predatory' gynecologist

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Six women along with the California Coalition of Women Prisoners have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, a prison gynecologist, and various officials with responsibility for overseeing the doctor, alleging ongoing sexual
violence.

"The things that he did to us will forever haunt us and traumatize us," said a woman identified only as Jane Doe #5. During a press conference, she and others did not wish to show their faces, but they wanted to tell their stories.

They claim they were the victims of sexual violence by Dr. Scott Lee, a gynecologist at the California Institution for Women.

"Due to that, I can't even go to the gynecologist now that I'm free, you know, I can't even enjoy some of my freedom, and that's just added to my trauma," said Jane Doe #3.

The lawsuit claims the all happened between 2016 and 2023. It claims Lee would perform unnecessary examinations and use force on patients in a sexualized manner.

"There was a sexual predator, acting as a medical doctor, who was allowed to abuse and violate patients for years," said attorney Morgan Ricketts, who represents the women, during Wednesday's press conference.

The lawsuit claims there were numerous complaints by the prisoners against the doctor but they were ignored.

"We know that this is a vulnerable population, and CDCR did nothing to protect those incarcerated in their care, and did nothing to answer their calls and cries for help," said Yashna Eswaran with Justice First.

She said a daily journal kept by one of the prisoners details what happened to her and others and will be the key evidence in court.

"This is the smoking gun," said Ricketts. "This is the reason that we will be able to prove that CDCR knew about what was happening all along and chose to ignore it."

So where is Lee now? The attorneys aren't sure. They said there is an internal investigation by the Department of Corrections and he still has his medical license.

"We do know that he's still employed and that he's on CIW's payroll and continues to get paid. We're not sure if he's practicing medicine anywhere," said attorney Jenny Huang.

Eyewitness News asked the Department of Corrections for a comment about the lawsuit. In a short statement, it would say only, "While we are unable to comment on personnel matters, Dr. Scott Lee no longer has direct in-person contact with patients."

Attorneys believe this case could cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.