Sexual abuse by a doctor is a deep violation of trust and a serious breach of medical ethics. In Florida, it is also a form of medical malpractice. You have the right to hold the doctor and, in some cases, the medical institution accountable for the harm you have endured.
You might be questioning what happened, especially if the abuse was disguised as a medical procedure. You might also worry that no one will believe you. These feelings are a completely normal response to this kind of betrayal.
Florida law explicitly presumes that a patient cannot give valid consent to sexual activity with their physician. What you experienced was wrong, and you have legal options. We know the path forward might seem unclear, which is why we are here to provide direct answers.
For a confidential conversation about what happened to you, call our Horowitz Law at (954) 641-2100. We handle Orlando sexual assault and abuse by doctors cases with compassion and skill.
Orlando Doctor Sexual Assault and Abuse Guide
- Why Orlando Survivors Put Their Trust in Horowitz Law
- What Compensation Is Available for Survivors of Medical Sexual Abuse?
- Where and How Does This Abuse Happen?
- What Is Considered Sexual Assault and Abuse by a Doctor?
- Why is a Medical Chaperone Important?
- Dealing With the Hospital or Medical Practice
- What Should I Do Now to Protect My Rights?
- Frequently Asked Questions About Orlando Medical Sexual Abuse Cases
- Your Voice Deserves to Be Heard
Why Orlando Survivors Put Their Trust in Horowitz Law
Our History of Advocacy
For more than two decades, founder Adam Horowitz has dedicated his practice to representing survivors. His work has earned recognition from both legal peers and survivor advocacy groups. The Daily Business Review named him South Florida's "Most Effective Lawyer" in the personal injury category for his work in sexual abuse litigation. More recently, in 2024, survivor advocates presented him with the Legacy of Justice Award for his commitment to survivors.
A Record of Holding Institutions Accountable
We have secured some of the largest verdicts and settlements in the U.S. for survivors of sexual abuse, including a landmark $70 million verdict for a young woman who was sexually assaulted. While every case has a unique set of facts and past results do not guarantee a specific outcome, our history shows our commitment to pursuing the maximum compensation available under the law.
Serving Survivors Across Florida
Though our main office is in Fort Lauderdale, we represent survivors throughout Florida, including many in Orlando and the surrounding Central Florida area. We are located at 110 East Broward Blvd., Suite 1530, but we are prepared to meet you wherever is most comfortable to discuss your case.
Our Commitment to You
We want to remove any financial barriers that could stop you from seeking justice. We make these promises to every person who calls our firm:
- Confidential & Free Review: Your first conversation with us is always free of charge, and everything you tell us remains strictly confidential.
- No Win, No Fee: We operate on a contingency fee basis. This means you will not owe us anything unless we recover money for you.
- Personalized Attention: You will work directly with our attorneys. We make sure you feel heard, respected, and supported through the entire legal process.
What Compensation Is Available for Survivors of Medical Sexual Abuse?
No amount of money can erase the trauma of what happened. However, a civil lawsuit can provide the financial resources to help you rebuild your life and ensure the responsible parties are held accountable.
In Florida, damages typically fall into three categories:
Economic Damages
This is compensation for the direct financial costs resulting from the abuse. These are losses that can be documented with bills, receipts, and income statements.
Examples include:
- Therapy and Counseling Costs: The expense of mental health care, from therapy to medication, is a direct result of the trauma.
- Lost Income: If the abuse has impacted your ability to work, you may be compensated for the wages you have lost.
- Future Medical Needs: This covers any continuing treatment you might need for the physical or psychological harm you suffered.
Non-Economic Damages
This addresses the personal, non-financial harm that represents the deepest impact of the abuse.
This includes compensation for:
- Pain and Suffering: For the physical pain and emotional distress you have endured.
- Emotional Anguish: This can cover conditions like PTSD, anxiety, depression, and a diminished ability to enjoy life.
- Breach of Trust: Florida law recognizes the unique violation that occurs when a trusted professional, like a doctor, commits abuse.
Punitive Damages
In cases where a doctor's actions were exceptionally reckless or intentionally malicious, a jury may award punitive damages. These are not designed to compensate you for a loss. Instead, their purpose is to punish the abuser for outrageous behavior and to discourage others from committing similar acts.
Where and How Does This Abuse Happen?
Abuse by doctors occurs more frequently than many people believe, often hidden behind the closed doors of an exam room.
Where Does This Occur?
Survivors of medical sexual abuse come from every type of healthcare setting in the Orlando area. An abuser can exploit their position in any number of places:
- Major Hospital Systems: Large institutions like AdventHealth and Orlando Health have protocols, but abuse can still happen within their large networks.
- Private Practices: Smaller clinics in neighborhoods across Orange and Seminole counties sometimes have less institutional oversight.
- Urgent Care Centers: The fast-paced nature of these centers can be exploited by an abuser who counts on not seeing a patient more than once.
- Specialty Clinics: This includes gynecology, psychiatry, and pain management offices, where patients are often in physically or emotionally vulnerable states.
Florida's Regulatory System
The Florida Board of Medicine is the state agency responsible for licensing and disciplining physicians. Disciplinary reports from the board show actions taken against doctors for sexual misconduct, with penalties that can include fines and license revocation.
You can report a doctor's behavior to the Florida Department of Health. This is an important step for administrative action against their license, but it is a separate process from a civil lawsuit. A civil lawsuit is the legal path to obtaining financial compensation for your suffering.
What Is Considered Sexual Assault and Abuse by a Doctor?
Abuse from a medical professional can be hard to identify because it is frequently disguised as a legitimate medical exam or treatment. The power dynamic can cause you to doubt your own instincts.
Examples of Medical Sexual Misconduct
Florida law defines sexual misconduct as any situation where a doctor uses the doctor-patient relationship to engage in sexual activity. It is illegal, and the law presumes a patient cannot give valid consent. Examples include:
- Inappropriate Touching: Any touching of a sexual nature that is not medically required for your exam. This includes fondling or groping of breasts, genitals, or the rectum without a clear clinical reason explained to you first.
- Unnecessary Examinations: Performing intimate exams without a valid medical reason or your informed consent. A doctor should always explain why an intimate exam is being performed.
- Sexual Comments: Making sexual jokes, asking about your sexual history when it is not relevant to your medical condition, or commenting on your body in a sexualized way.
- Unnecessary Exposure: Requiring you to be more undressed than is needed for an exam, failing to provide proper draping, or leaving you exposed for an extended time.
- Assault or Rape: Any non-consensual sexual penetration. This is a criminal act and grounds for a civil lawsuit.
Relevant Legal Concepts
- Medical Malpractice: In Florida, sexual misconduct is a form of medical malpractice. It is an extreme failure to meet the accepted standard of care, which never includes sexual contact with a patient.
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty: A doctor has a "fiduciary duty" to act only in your best interest. It is a legal concept that establishes a high standard of trust. Sexual abuse is a severe breach of that duty.
- Statute of Limitations in Florida: The law sets a deadline for filing a lawsuit. For medical malpractice in Florida, the deadline is generally two years from the date you discovered the injury. However, there is also a four-year absolute deadline from the date the incident happened. These deadlines are complicated and have some exceptions, especially for fraud or for abuse that occurred in childhood. Speaking with an attorney quickly helps preserve your rights.
Why is a Medical Chaperone Important?
A medical chaperone is a trained member of the healthcare team, like a nurse or medical assistant, who is present during a sensitive physical examination. Their role is to be an impartial observer, providing reassurance to you and protecting both you and the physician.
The presence of a chaperone helps ensure that the examination is conducted professionally and can prevent misunderstandings of a doctor's intentions. Medical professional groups recommend that a chaperone be present for all sensitive exams, such as those involving the breasts, genitals, or rectum.
Did the Hospital Fail to Protect You?
You have the right to request a chaperone for any examination. If a hospital or medical practice does not have a clear policy about chaperones, fails to offer one for a sensitive exam, or dismisses your request for one, they may be putting patients at risk.
A facility’s failure to establish and follow proper chaperone protocols can be a form of negligence, and it may be a factor in holding the institution responsible for the abuse that occurred.
Dealing With the Hospital or Medical Practice
Hospitals and large medical groups are businesses. When an abuse claim is made, their response is typically guided by protocols designed to limit their financial and reputational damage. This means that their interests are not aligned with yours.
What to Expect from the Institution
After you report an incident, you may see several tactics intended to protect the institution, not you. It is helpful to be aware of them:
- Internal Investigations: An institution may start an "internal investigation." While this sounds helpful, their goal is to control the information and find ways to minimize their own legal and financial risk. They are not a neutral party.
- Quick Settlement Offers: Some institutions might offer a fast, low settlement before the full extent of your emotional and psychological harm is known. They hope a quick payment will resolve the issue quietly and prevent a larger claim.
- Denial of Responsibility: The institution may try to describe the abuse as the isolated act of one rogue employee, distancing themselves from any failure in their hiring, supervision, or retention of the doctor. Our job is to investigate whether the institution knew or should have known about the doctor's behavior, which could make them liable as well.
What Should I Do Now to Protect My Rights?
Now that you are home and physically safe, there are several things you can do to protect your well-being and strengthen a potential legal case.
- Document What Happened: Write down everything you remember about the incident or incidents. Include dates, times, what was said, what occurred, and who else was present. Do this as soon as you can while the memory is fresh. This journal is a private record for you and your attorney.
- Preserve Any Evidence: Keep any related documents, such as appointment reminders, bills, insurance statements, or any written communication with the doctor's office.
- Stop All Contact: Do not speak with the doctor who abused you, their staff, or their representatives. Your attorney should handle all communications to protect you from being manipulated or pressured.
- Limit Social Media: Do not post anything online about the incident, your emotional state, or your potential legal case. Anything you post could be taken out of context and used by the other side to argue against your claim.
- Continue Your Treatment: If you are seeing a therapist or counselor, it is important to follow your treatment plan. This is for your own healing and also serves to document the harm you have suffered.
Frequently Asked Questions About Orlando Medical Sexual Abuse Cases
What if I didn't say "no" or physically resist?
Freezing during a traumatic event is an extremely common, recognized psychological response, especially when a person in power is involved. The absence of a "no" or a physical struggle does not equal consent. Under Florida law, a patient is legally presumed to be incapable of consenting to sexual activity with their physician.
What if there were no other witnesses?
Most sexual abuse happens in private, without witnesses. The legal system understands this. Your testimony is powerful evidence. We build cases by corroborating your account with other facts, such as the doctor's patterns of behavior, evidence of institutional negligence, and expert testimony on the nature of trauma.
What is the difference between a civil and a criminal case?
A criminal case is brought by the state to punish the abuser with penalties like jail time. A civil case is a lawsuit you file to seek financial compensation for the harm you suffered. The two are completely separate, and you can file a civil lawsuit even if no criminal charges are ever filed. The standard of proof is also different; it is much easier to prove liability in a civil case than to secure a criminal conviction.
Will my name be made public?
We understand the desire for privacy. In many cases, we can file lawsuits using a "Jane Doe" or "John Doe" pseudonym to protect your identity. While complete anonymity can never be guaranteed, we take every possible legal step to shield our clients from public exposure throughout the process.
What if the abuse happened years ago when I was a child?
Florida law has specific exceptions for cases involving childhood sexual abuse. If you were under 16 at the time of the abuse, there may be no statute of limitations for filing a civil claim. It is definitely worth discussing the specifics of your situation with an attorney, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.
Your Voice Deserves to Be Heard
You do not have to carry this forward by yourself. Our team of Orlando sexual abuse lawyers at Horowitz Law understands these cases and is ready to stand with you.
If you are ready to explore your options, we are here to listen. Call us for a confidential conversation at (954) 641-2100.