BOSTON |
(Reuters) - A former Boston pediatrician was accused in a lawsuit on Thursday of sexually abusing young male patients by giving them genital examinations that were not medically necessary.The lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court by Boston attorney Carmen Durso, alleges Dr. Melvin Levine performed such exams on more than 40 minor patients from 1966 to 1985 while working at Children's Hospital Boston.
The lawsuit seeks class action certification, which would broaden it to represent others who claim they were inappropriately treated. The suit says Levine treated some 5,000 boys over those 20 years.
Levine's defense attorney Edward Mahoney said in a statement: "Dr. Levine denies in the strongest terms possible the allegations."
Mahoney said Levine has received "widespread and unflagging support from patients and peers."
The lawsuit alleges Children's Hospital knew of the sexual abuse and had received complaints about unwarranted or improper medical treatment by Levine but failed to act.
In a statement, Children's Hospital said during Levine's tenure it did not receive any complaints from parents or patients.
"Children's would not, and did not, cover up any inappropriate conduct relating to Dr. Levine," the hospital said in the statement.
The hospital did say it received one complaint after Levine left the hospital, but that it was investigated and resolved.
"The hospital supervised Dr. Levine's practice in accordance with the applicable standards of the time," it said.
Levine last practiced at Children's Hospital 25 years ago and later worked in North Carolina.
In 2009, he agreed not to practice medicine and to surrender his medical license after the North Carolina Medical Board received five complaints from patients alleging he conducted inappropriate genital examinations without a chaperon present.
(Reporting by Lauren Keiper; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jerry Norton)
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