LK Investigating Sexual Abuse Claims Against Queens Gastroenterologist Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng

Levy Konigsberg is investigating potential sexual abuse claims involving Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng.

Cheng, who worked as a gastroenterologist, is facing criminal charges for allegedly drugging and raping a female victim at his home and has been accused of drugging and raping at least one female patient inside an exam room at New York Presbyterian Hospital Queens.

If you or someone you love were sexually assaulted by Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, Levy Konigsberg wants to help. Our sexual abuse team has extensive experience litigating claims against powerful institutions, including hospitals and medical centers that failed to stop abusers and protect patients. Based in NYC, we’re available to discuss your potential case during a FREE and confidential consultation.

Call (800) 315-3806 or contact us online for a FREE consultation.

Criminal, Civil Cases Raise Allegations of Cheng’s Sexual Assaults

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng is a gastroenterologist/internist who worked at the New York Presbyterian medical center in Flushing until December 2022.

Several legal filings against Cheng – including a criminal indictment over an assault that occurred at his home and a civil lawsuit filed by a separate victim who was assaulted in an exam room – have revealed a pattern of shocking behaviors by the doctor. The filings also suggest that New York Presbyterian knew about Cheng’s abuse but failed to stop him.

Here are some details about the cases involving Cheng:

December 2022 Criminal Charges

On December 30, 2022, Cheng was indicted by a Queens County grand jury on several felony counts, including first-degree rape, first-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree assault, and second-degree unlawful surveillance.

The charges stem from a complaint received by the NYPD from a female victim involved in a voluntary intimate relationship who had discovered videos of Cheng chemically sedating and sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions. Prosecutors allege that Cheng used a KN-95 mask filled with cotton balls soaked in an unknown liquid to render the woman unconscious before videotaping the assault. An investigation of Cheng’s electronic devices found videos of additional assaults, including an assault against a female patient at the New York Presbyterian medical center.

The criminal case again Cheng is still pending, and he is being held without bond on Rikers Island.

June 2023 Civil Lawsuit

In June 2023, New York Presbyterian was named in a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed that she was assaulted by Cheng in June 2021 while she was admitted to the hospital for gall bladder surgery, and that New York Presbyterian knew she had been sexually assaulted but conspired to cover up the abuse.

The suit claims that Cheng entered the woman’s hospital room the day before her surgery and injected her with an unknown substance that rendered her unconscious. It claims she awoke with extreme pain in her lower abdomen.

Records from the hospital’s investigation into the incident indicate that staff reviewed surveillance video and key card access near the exam room and assigned social workers specializing in sexual abuse to examine the patient. Hospital staff also presented the victim with a “line-up” of male medical personnel in attempt to identify the suspect. While she correctly identified Cheng, the hospital did not take further action against Cheng or report him to police.

Holding Hospitals Accountable for Sexual Abuse by Medical Staff

The civil lawsuit filed by one of Dr. Cheng’s alleged victims raises serious questions about New York Presbyterian’s policies for investigating sexual assault complaints and protecting patients from abusive staff. For example, the suit claims that:

• New York Presbyterian failed to report the incident to authorities.
• Hospital staff failed to inform the victim about the results of its investigation, despite investigating the possibility that a sexual assault occurred.
• New York Presbyterian allowed Dr. Cheng to continue treating patients for well over a year following the June 2021 investigation. The hospital did not fire Cheng until it was informed of his criminal rape indictment in December 2022.

While sexual abuse lawsuits provide survivors with an opportunity to seek justice against their abusers in civil court, they also serve the important purpose of holding institutions accountable for failures in preventing, investigating, and acting appropriately in response to abuse.

As a firm with extensive experience litigating sexual abuse claims against powerful institutions, our team at Levy Konigsberg knows that hospitals and medical facilities can be held accountable for failing to appropriately prevent and respond to patient complaints of sexual assault and abuse.

Now, we’re seeking information from other patients who may have been assaulted by Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng and who may have additional information about what New York Presbyterian knew about his misconduct.

Authorities Say There Are More Victims. Do You Have a Case?

Given Cheng’s methods of drugging and raping his victims, his position as a doctor with access to drugs, and video evidence showing Cheng assaulting other victims, authorities believe there could be many more survivors that have yet to step forward.

You may have a civil claim for abuse committed by Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng if:

• You were sexually abused by Dr. Cheng while he was employed by New York Presbyterian in Flushing (July 2020 to December 2022); or
• You were sexually abused by Dr. Cheng while he was employed at another hospital or medical facility.

New York law protects the rights of sexual abuse survivors by allowing them to file civil lawsuits against their abusers and the institutions that failed to protect them. Thanks to the recently enacted New York Adult Survivors Act, survivors of sexual assault and sexual abuse can also file claims that may have been previously barred by the statute of limitations. This means that:

• You may be able to bring claims against a hospital, medical center, or other institution that employed Cheng at the time of your abuse.
• You may have a claim even if the abuse occurred years or decades ago.

Levy Konigsberg: Leading the Fight for Sexual Abuse Survivors

Levy Konigsberg is a U.S. News “Best Law Firms” ranked trial practice that’s recovered over $3 billion in compensation for victims. Backed by award-winning trial lawyers, we’ve earned a reputation for litigating high-stakes sexual assault and abuse claims against powerful defendants.

Our work in the area includes:

• Sexual abuse lawsuits filed against some of the country’s most powerful institutions, including the Catholic Church, Boy Scouts of America, and public universities.
• Representation of patients sexually abused in hospitals and medical institutions, including cases involving gynecologist sex abuse and claims involving New York doctors and institutions such as Dr. Reginald Archibald (Rockefeller University Hospital) and Dr. Darius Paduch (NY Presbyterian Weill Cornell and Northwell Health).
• Representation of numerous former female inmates sexually abused by guards and staff in New York women’s prisons and California women’s prisons.

Call For a FREE Consultation: (800) 315-3806

If you have questions about a potential lawsuit involving a sexual assault committed by Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng during his time at the New York Presbyterian medical center Queens or another medical institution, Levy Konigsberg wants to help.

Our award-winning attorneys offer FREE and confidential consultations and handle sex abuse claims on contingency, which means there’s no cost to hire our team and no fee unless we win. To speak with a lawyer, call (800) 315-3806 or contact us online.