A lawsuit has been filed against two prominent Chicago hospitals, accusing an OB-GYN of sexually abusing over 300 women, primarily Latina and Spanish-speaking, and alleging that the hospitals disregarded the women’s complaints, NBC News reported.
This lawsuit marks the latest development in the ongoing legal case — one of the largest doctor-patient sexual abuse cases in the US — against Fabio Ortega, 77, who admitted guilt in 2021 to sexually abusing two patients. The complaint, brought on behalf of one woman, claims that employees at NorthShore Medical Group and Swedish Covenant Hospital, now both under Endeavor Health, concealed reports of the doctor’s misconduct for years before his conviction. The suit alleges the hospitals “knowingly gave him a platform to sexually abuse” hundreds more patients.
“Women reported. They reported again and again and again,” attorney Symone Shinton stated during a news conference on March 26 announcing the lawsuit. “They were told to question their very experiences as women. They were told that the very abuse they complained about was medically necessary and normal.”
Filed in Cook County Circuit Court, the lawsuit represents a woman known only as “Jane Doe 300” and details the alleged experiences of several unnamed patients dating back to 1989. It claims Ortega performed “unnecessary pelvic exams” and asked “intrusive questions about their sex life.”
Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, the Chicago law firm representing the plaintiff, reported the number of over 300 alleged victims after placing legal advertisements about Ortega and receiving numerous responses.
Jane Doe 300, according to the lawsuit, was 22 and pregnant when she saw Ortega twice in 2017. The suit alleges that Ortega assaulted her under the guise of performing “vaginal examinations.” She was among Ortega’s last patients before his arrest. When her husband inquired about why they were assigned a new doctor during her pregnancy, NorthShore hospital staff repeatedly claimed Ortega was “unavailable,” the lawsuit states.
The complaint further alleges that the hospital “withheld its knowledge that Ortega was then the subject of a criminal investigation for sexually abusing his patients.”
The suit also describes incidents involving other alleged victims, including one where Ortega allegedly inserted “his fingers into her vagina, comparing his fingers to the size of her husband’s penis.” Another case involved a 40-year-old woman referred to Ortega due to heavy bleeding; the lawsuit claims Ortega used his fingers to stimulate her while asking personal questions about her sexual satisfaction and practices.
The lawsuit details how patients allegedly reported the abuse to nursing assistants, family doctors, and, in at least one instance in 2004, the Chicago police. However, the Chicago Police Department has not responded to a request for comment.
In November 2004, the lawsuit states, Ortega requested a one-year leave of absence without explanation and later resumed treating patients.
Most of Ortega’s alleged victims were Latina women who spoke little or no English. According to attorneys, these women were referred to Ortega because he spoke Spanish.
One of the alleged victims, a 48-year-old woman from Mexico, spoke anonymously to NBC News about the resurfacing of painful memories due to the lawsuit. NBC News typically does not disclose the identities of sexual assault victims, and the woman requested anonymity as she has not shared her experiences with her two adult daughters. She described her anger about the lawsuit, stating, “Because [the hospitals] knew what was going on.”
Ortega was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two patients but has since been released. Attempts to contact Ortega and his former attorneys for comments were not immediately successful.
Endeavor Health declined to comment on the ongoing litigation or specific allegations but emphasized their “zero tolerance” policy for abuse. In a statement, they acknowledged the courage it takes for survivors to come forward and stressed their commitment to the highest standards of safety and quality in patient care. They mentioned ongoing improvements to processes and policies to support the reporting of abuse and cooperation with law enforcement.
Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, who also represented victims of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, allege that hospitals ignored complaints because the patients were Latina and did not speak English.
Attorney Parker Stinar remarked, “Sadly, what’s commonly seen is that minority patients are silenced by healthcare providers when they raise concerns or issue complaints.” He added that Ortega “knew that these patients would trust his white coat.”
Stinar indicated that while this first lawsuit represents only one of more than 300 alleged victims, additional lawsuits are forthcoming, though he did not specify the number or the amount of damages sought. He explained that they are not pursuing a class-action suit because each victim’s experience is unique, with varying levels of physical, emotional, and lifelong trauma.
NBC News inquired whether Endeavor Health or the hospitals involved had attempted to notify Ortega’s patients when he was initially charged in 2021. Endeavor Health did not respond to this question.
Reflecting on her own experience, the Mexican woman told NBC News, “The hospitals, I feel like they don’t care about us as Spanish or women or Latinas.” She expressed concern for others, saying, “You teach your kids to be careful when they go out… But how can you prevent this, tell them to be afraid of your doctor?”
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