O.C. doctor accused of multiple sexual battery charges faces new allegations
One woman alleged in a lawsuit that an Irvine doctor smirked and laughed while opening a paper vest she was wearing to expose and fondle her breasts.
Another woman said in the lawsuit that the same physician stared at her exposed chest and touched her breasts, saying that he was “feeling for [her] liver†and pointing out that he was aroused during an examination.
These and several other women over the years have complained about Dr. John Hoefs’ physical exams — in online forums, to his offices and to the California Medical Board — but he was allowed to continue working until his recent arrest, court records and police reports reviewed by The Times indicate.
Fifteen women filed a civil lawsuit this week alleging that Hoefs, 79, coerced them to expose their breasts under the guise of legitimate medical treatment and in several instances groped them while examining them for conditions related to their liver. The abuse, which lawyers for the women allege dates to 2006, continued until Hoefs was arrested this year, according to the lawsuit.
“Many of the female patients who were sexually abused by Hoefs were fighting for their lives against aggressive forms of liver cancer and hepatitis at the time they sought treatment ...†the lawsuit states. “When, in return, Hoefs viciously violated that trust and confidence in order to sexually abuse these extremely vulnerable patients.â€
A second group of former Rosemead High School students file suit alleging the school district failed to protect them from employees who sexually assaulted them.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, also names Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian and the Regents of the University of California system, which Hoefs was affiliated with during the time the abuse allegedly occurred.
Attorneys representing the women wrote in the lawsuit that UCI Medical Center and Hoag “concealed numerous complaints lodged by female patients about Hoefs’ sexual abuse†and failed to prevent the sexual abuse of “dozens of vulnerable female patients.â€
“Hoag and the Regents knew and certainly should have known that Hoefs posed a risk of sexual abuse to patients ... as early as 2017 when complaints of such abuse were made to the California Medical Board, as well as numerous complaints posted onto multiple public online forums,†the lawsuit states.
Representatives for Hoag and UCI Medical Center could not be reached for comment Friday. Hoag wrote in a statement to the Orange County Register that Hoefs was not its employee but leased office space in a building owned by Hoag.
“Upon learning of his arrest, Hoag’s medical staff immediately suspended his hospital privileges and Hoag suspended access to his leased space,†Hoag told the newspaper.
Orange County prosecutors charged Hoefs this year with 17 felony counts of sexual battery by fraud and three felony counts of sexual battery. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released from custody on a $500,000 bond, according to Orange County Superior Court records.
Hoefs’ attorney, Kate Corrigan, declined to comment about the allegations against her client when reached on Friday, but said she’s receiving discovery from prosecutors and is reviewing details of the case.
In a conversation in March with Irvine Police Det. Rebecca Steen, Hoefs denied touching patients’ breasts during exams.
“Hoefs told me he was extremely surprised by the allegations,†Steen wrote in a police report. “He also expressed frustration with the situation and said he has never harmed anyone.â€
After Hoefs’ arrest earlier this year, the California Medical Board suspended his medical license and prohibited him from having any contact with current, former or prospective patients, according to a suspension order. However, the medical board permitted Hoefs to continue working as medical director for Hepatiq Inc., a medical diagnostic software corporation.
A woman who was in her 40s when she sought treatment from Hoefs in 2016 and 2017 said he required her to remove all of her clothing from the waist up during exams and fondled her breasts without wearing gloves, according to the civil lawsuit. She became suspicious after this happened at several appointments and reported the conduct to the state medical board in October 2017.
It is not clear what action, if any, the medical board took at the time. A representative for the board did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Another woman had shown Hoefs a photo of a bruise she had in an effort to seek his medical opinion during a visit to his office. He responded, according to the lawsuit, that he “did not have time to look at photographs unless they were of her in a bikini.â€
The Medical Board of California was established to protect patients by licensing doctors and investigating complaints. The board has a long history of going easy on troubled doctors, a Times investigation has found.
Irvine police began investigating the doctor in October 2022 after they received a report from a woman who alleged Hoefs touched her breasts at nearly every appointment she’d had with him over the course of two years, according to a police report obtained by The Times.
While listening to her heart and lungs, Hoefs would allegedly “flick off her medical gown fully exposing her breasts for the remainder of the exam,†the police report states.
“She thought it was weird the first time he did it, but after the second time, she thought it must be part of the exam,†Officer Monica Williams wrote in the report.
But during an appointment in October 2022, the woman told officers she became uncomfortable when Hoefs asked her to move closer to him while discussing the results of her exam and asked her about her life. He also talked about sex in schools and transgender issues, according to the report.
Later, she posted on a Facebook group for individuals with liver issues asking if it was normal for their breasts to be touched during an exam. Members of the group said that it wasn’t normal. The woman also told Hoag Hospital about the doctor’s behavior, according to the police report.
A hidden camera in a bathroom may have captured 20 patients who visited a chiropractor’s business in Valencia, a lawsuit claims.
Online reviews, which are detailed in the police report, showed that several women had made similar complaints about Hoefs. One woman wrote on Yelp that the doctor “grabbed my breasts during an exam and he told me I wasn’t going to live long enough to raise my then 2 year old son — my [s]on is now 28!â€
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