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Attorneys have filed new federal complaints against the U.S. Army on behalf of 20 additional victims who say they were sexually abused by former Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) doctor Michael Stockin, Seattle News station KIRO 7 reported.
Stockin was sentenced in January to more than 13 years in prison for sexually abusing over three dozen patients over the course of several years. The latest complaints, filed on March 3, bring the total number of lawsuits against the Army under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) to 42.
The complaints allege that the Army is responsible for Stockin’s actions due to its negligence in hiring, supervising, and retaining him. They also claim the Army failed to implement adequate protocols to protect patients and visitors from sexual abuse.
“Dr. Stockin has been sentenced for his criminal conduct. But now the focus must turn to holding the Army accountable for its role in allowing this rampant abuse to persist,” said a plaintiff’s attorney. “The number of victims we represent has nearly doubled in the last two months alone. There is no doubt that this is one of the biggest sexual assault scandals ever faced by the military. There will be no justice for my clients – and the many other victims out there – until the Army takes responsibility for what happened to these men.”
The complaints also accuse the military of knowing about Stockin’s abuse but failing to take immediate action to remove him from patient care.
An Army investigation into Stockin was launched in 2022 following multiple complaints, according to Michelle McCaskill, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. After receiving these complaints, the Army suspended Stockin from patient care and reassigned him to administrative duties. He was formally charged in August 2023 with 23 counts of abusive sexual contact. By January 2024, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel had referred 52 charges and specifications stemming from allegations by 41 male patients treated between 2019 and 2022.
Following Stockin’s sentencing, the law firm representing the victims said their office was “inundated with calls” from additional victims seeking to hold the Army accountable.
“Had the Army better screened Dr. Stockin when hiring him, or better supervised his patient interaction, Dr. Stockin would not have been in a position to sexually abuse me and other patients. The fact that Dr. Stockin was able to sexually abuse over 100 patients, and potentially many more, is evidence that the Army was negligent in its supervision of Dr. Stockin. Furthermore, the Army negligently allowed Dr. Stockin to continue seeing patients even after the Army publicly claims to have received complaints about Dr. Stockin in February 2022. Furthermore, the Army negligently failed to put in place or enforce policies and procedures to minimize the risk of sexual assault of patients. Dr. Stockin was allowed to examine patients without a chaperone present,” said victims in a joint suit statement.
The Army has yet to respond publicly to the latest complaints. KIRO 7 has reached out to JBLM for a statement regarding the new filings and is awaiting a response.
