On October 21, 2022, Dr. Saul Lipsman, a podiatrist in Palm Beach County podiatrist, was taken into custody and arrested on allegations he committed sexual battery on a 61-year-old female patient who was visiting from New York. Dr. Saul Lipsman, age 77, was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and later released on a $10,000 bond. The sexual battery is said to have occurred on March 12, 2022, at his office, Lipsman Foot & Ankle Center, located at 6894 Lake Worth Rd Ste 102, Lake Worth, Florida. In addition to his Lake Worth office, Dr. Saul Lipsman also has a Wellington practice and is affiliated with Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, JFK Medical Center, and Wellington Regional Medical Center. Lipsman has been a licensed podiatrist in Florida since 1971.
This is not the first time Dr. Saul Lipsman has been the subject of a sexual misconduct complaint. In 2014, a woman reported to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office that Dr. Lipsman touched her in an inappropriate sexual manner during a medical visit. Similarly, in August 2016, a 51-year old woman reported to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office that she had been sexually assaulted by Dr. Lipsman when he put his penis on top of her hand during an office visit and later “thrusted” his groin against her. No criminal charges were filed on either of these complaints. However, they appear to have played a role in the 2022 arrest.
The recent arrest follows a seven-month investigation that began after the patient contacted the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and filed a report claiming Lipsman sexually battered her during an office visit while she was in Florida visiting her parents. According to the arrest affidavit, the victim, who is a teacher in New York, told the police that she was in town and had foot pain. Her parents referred her to Dr. Lipsman, the podiatrist they had used for twenty years. On March 11, 2022, the woman visited Lipsman in his Lake Worth location. She told the police that he seemed weird but was a godsend for giving her a shot for the pain. The victim stated that Lipsman called her the next day to follow up and tell her he had a new cream she should try. He told her to come in that day, which was a Saturday. The victim arrived at approximately 3 PM with her father and noticed the front door was locked. Lipsman let them in, as they were the only ones in the office. Lipsman allegedly asked the victim’s father to stay in the waiting room while he looked at the patient’s foot and showed her how to use the cream. He then advised her to lie face down on the table. Lipsman allegedly lifted up the patient’s shirt and unstrapped her bra. He then allegedly rubbed the cream on her shoulders and her lower back and pulled her sweatpants and underwear down to massage it on her lower back. She then flipped over with her bra unhooked, exposing her breasts. He then began putting the cream down her hip area and on her inner thigh close to her vaginal area. While he was doing this, he was reportedly giving her a medical explanation for her pain, stating that everything in the body was connected and that her hips were not aligned. According to the alleged victim, Dr. Lipsman then put his fingers inside her vagina while he continued to talk. She told law enforcement that, at one point, he spat on her vagina. She said she got a sick feeling and felt paralyzed. He then allegedly moved his hands back up to her breasts before trying to kiss her breasts and lips. This is when she reacted and told him to get off, and she got off the exam table. Dr. Lipsman reportedly called her cellphone the next day, but she did not answer.
Finding the right medical provider can be challenging. We seek out seasoned professionals who possess a good bedside manner, compassion, and empathy. When we do finally decide on one, we hope to feel better over time, not be violated by the very person with whom we place our trust. Doctors hold a position of power in the physician-patient relationship under Florida law. It is both unacceptable and unlawful for a healthcare professional to touch a patient in any sexual manner or practice any sexual misconduct while treating the patient.
Horowitz Law has filed numerous sexual misconduct claims against medical professionals on behalf of patients who were inappropriately touched in their care. Under no circumstances is a doctor or nurse permitted to have sexual contact with a patient. If you have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual battery at a medical office or facility, or if you know someone who has, please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at [email protected] for a free consultation.