Gynecologist from hell

Seattle women sue the Health Department for ignoring complaints of an abusive OB-GYN.

Published December 19, 2005 5:53PM (EST)

Here's a chilling story about a Seattle gynecologist who, despite numerous complaints about inappropriate behavior, was allowed to continue practicing, in the words of Shakespeare's Sister, "for eight years after the state's Health Department was made aware of his scumbaggery." Now, eight women are suing the Health Department, alleging that during the years it spent ignoring patient complaints, Charles Momah and his brother molested somewhere between 60 and 500 women.

According to the Associated Press, Momah was convicted last month on two counts of rape and two counts of indecent liberties. He faces a sentence of up to 23 years in prison.

Apparently, in a plot right out of that creepy Jeremy Irons movie "Dead Ringers," Momah has a twin, who has been accused of posing as his doctor brother and also abusing patients. No criminal charges have been filed against the brother, and he has denied the charges.

The AP notes that the women's lawyer claims that Momah should never have been licensed in Washington to begin with, since he was accused of malpractice while working in a New York hospital.


By Rebecca Traister

Rebecca Traister writes for Salon. She is the author of "Big Girls Don't Cry: The Election that Changed Everything for American Women" (Free Press). Follow @rtraister on Twitter.

MORE FROM Rebecca Traister


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Broadsheet Love And Sex