By Jeremy Pawloski, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.
Dec. 28–The number of criminal charges against Dr. Jitesh Chawla, formerly employed at Providence St. Peter Hospital, has jumped from three to 18, based on allegations of sexual touching and rape made by patients and co-workers of Chawla at his other former employer, Group Health Tacoma.
The 15 new criminal charges against Chawla include 10 counts of indecent liberties, three counts of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation and two counts of second-degree rape.
Thurston County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jodilyn Erikson-Muldrew said the 15 new counts filed in Thurston County Superior Court on Dec. 19 are all based on accusations made by 13 accusers from Pierce County.
Tacoma attorney Thaddeus Martin said Chawla’s 13 new accusers are all clients of his in a civil suit he has filed against Group Health based on Chawla’s alleged behavior.
“I have 13 women who were victimized and should not have been,” Martin said. Chawla “should not have been a doctor based on his history of violating women and overstepping the physician-patient boundaries. He should never been around any patients, based on his history.”
Chawla’s attorney in his criminal case, John Sinclair, said Wednesday: “Those who know Dr. Chawla know him to be a sincere and dedicated medical professional. These are just allegations and have not been proven. That’s what trials are for.”
Martin’s lawsuit against Group Health alleges that Chawla sexually harassed and assaulted female patients and colleagues.
The suit alleges a pr oper background check could have confirmed Chawla had a history of inappropriate behavior, including that Chawla had been kicked out of a medical school on a Caribbean island for “similar sexually assaultive behavior he engaged in at Group Health.”
The state Department of Health suspended Chawla’s medical license Oct. 13, based on the allegations made against him when he was employed at Providence St. Peter — that he touched in a sexual manner two women and an underage teenage girl while he was employed at the hospital’s chemical dependency unit.
In court Oct. 6, Sinclair said Chawla was then employed at Valley View Health Center in Chehalis. However, Sinclair said Wednesday that Chawla is not currently employed.
“It’s difficult for him to work at the present time,” Sinclair said.
Chawla was fired from Providence St. Peter on Dec. 23, 2005, after three women complained to a hospital official on Dec. 19, 2005, court papers state.
Chawla was fired from Group Health in April 2006 after staff members complained about him, a Group Health spokesman has said.
Officials at Group Health Tacoma could not be reached Wednesday. However, in a prior statement, Group Health spokesman Michael Erikson said: “As employees brought forth complaints about Dr. Chawla, they were thoroughly investigated, and those complaints were part of what led to his termination. At the time that we employed him, there were no complaints against his license.”
Chawla never disclosed to Group Health that he was employed at Providence St. Peter, Erikson also has said.
Erikson said in October that Group Health conducts background checks on all of its physicians, including criminal background checks, references, previous employment, claims history and any prior complaints bef ore the state’s licensing board.
In court papers, one of the women enrolled in the chemical dependency unit alleged that after she complained about Chawla, he responded, “Who are they gonna believe, me or you?”
Jeremy Pawloski covers public safety for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or [email protected].
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Copyright (c) 2006, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.
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