Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of alleged sexual abuse. For seven years, the only full-time gynecologist at the California Institution for Women, a high-security prison facility in Chino, has been abusing his patients, according to a civil lawsuit filed this week by six women.
Scott Lee, a year-old licensed OB-GYN, acted with impunity at the Chino prison where he has treated hundreds of women since , according to the civil complaint filed in the Central District of California federal court. The claim, which has not been previously reported, accuses the prison's leaders and other medical staff of failing to take action to stop Lee despite past complaints against him. Lee did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
It's unclear whether he has retained an attorney. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has faced multiple civil lawsuits in recent years alleging that staff enable systemic sexual violence against prisoners. In September, the federal Department of Justice announced that both the Chino facility, about 20 miles west of Riverside in an agricultural part of San Bernardino County, and another women's prison in Chowchilla are under investigation for civil rights violations related to sexual abuse.
Imprisoned women have filed hundreds of lawsuits against the state in the last two years over claims that range from groping during searches to sexual assault, but the plaintiffs in the case against Lee make grim claims about their alleged experience under his medical care. According to the complaint, the six women say that they endured abusive pap smears and biopsies and coerced exams, including breast and anal examinations, and that those who crossed him allegedly faced retaliation, including withholding of medical treatment.
Huang said attorneys interviewed more than 60 patients who were treated by Lee. The Times does not name the alleged victims of sexual assault. In court papers, Lee's accusers are identified as Jane Does. Three agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, out of fear of retaliation and to protect their privacy as they transition back into society. Before being incarcerated, each woman was a victim of domestic violence, their lawyers said, and they all served prison time for crimes related to their abuse.
