Dr. Darius Paduch Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Dr. Paduch Sex Abuse Claims Against Weill Cornell and Northwell Health

Levy Konigsberg is reviewing claims from former patients who were sexually abused by New York urologist Dr. Darius A. Paduch.

Paduch, who was employed at the New York - Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City and later Northwell Health on Long Island, has been indicted on federal charges for sexually abusing multiple male patients, including minors.

In light of Paduch’s arrest, NY Presbyterian and Northwell Health are now facing a growing number of lawsuits from survivors who say the hospital and medical center failed to protect them.

Levy Konigsberg is known nationally for litigating sexual abuse claims against powerful institutions. To discuss your legal options, call (800) 315-3806 or contact us online for a FREE and confidential consultation.

Dr. Paduch’s History of Sexual Abuse

Dr. Darius Paduch worked as a urologist and male infertility/sexual dysfunction specialist at two prominent New York medical institutions:

• New York - Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center in NYC (2003-2019)
• Northwell Health on Long Island (2019-2023)

According to growing evidence, Paduch at some point began to sexually abuse and exploit his patients in closed examination rooms under the guise that he was completing routine or necessary medical care related to male sexual function and dysfunction.

Paduch would allegedly instruct his patients to masturbate in his presence, play pornography while watching his victims masturbate, and masturbate victims himself using his hands or sex toys for no legitimate medical purpose. He is also accused of conducting unnecessary rectal examinations, instructing patients to film themselves masturbating, and directing patients to schedule follow-up visits via texts from his personal phone, which created a pattern that allowed him to repeatedly abuse victims over the course of multiple years.

The allegations against Paduch were brought to light by various investigations and claims, including a federal grand jury indictment and several civil lawsuits.

• In April 2023, Paduch was indicted in the Southern District of New York for sexually abusing multiple male patients, including minor male patients, during his time at both NY Presbyterian and Northwell Health. The charges against Paduch relate to the abuse and assault of multiple patients who were first abused as minors and later as adults dating back to at least 2015. However, authorities suspect there may be more victims considering Paduch’s abusive patterns and his employment as a urologist since 2003.
• In December 2022 and into early 2023, the first civil lawsuits were filed against NY Presbyterian and Northwell Health on by several survivors who allege that they were sexually abused by Paduch and that the medical institutions failed to protect them, despite being warned about Paduch’s behavior. One of the lawsuits was filed by a minor who served as an intern for Paduch.

Read More About Dr. Paduch’s indictment here.

Dr. Paduch Sex Abuse Claims Seek Accountability from NY Presbyterian and Northwell Health

While the pending federal charges against Paduch means that he may be held criminally accountable, it will not determine liability for the damages suffered by victims. Instead, survivors will need to file claims in civil court to seek a financial recovery and hold the medical institutions that employed Paduch accountable for their failures to protect patients.

Fortunately, New York law allows victims of sexual abuse to file claims against not only abusers, but also the institutions that enabled abuse.

As a growing number of Paduch’s former patients allege, NY Presbyterian and Northwell Health failed to protect victims from Paduch’s abuse, despite years of complaints and concerns voiced by patients and other employees. Insight from additional survivors who choose to step forward will likely aid ongoing investigations into what these institutions knew about Paduch’s abuse and how they failed to respond to warning signs.

Do I Have a Case?

The indictment against Dr. Paduch includes charges related to specific instances of sexual abuse that took place between at least 2015 and 2019. However, Paduch worked as a urologist at NY Presbyterian since at least 2003 and at Northwell Health until 2023, and investigators suspect that there are more victims.

You may have grounds to file a civil claim if:

• You were a minor or adult patient sexually abused by Paduch during his time at NY Presbyterian (2003-2019) or Northwell Health (2019-2023).
• You are the parent of a minor patient who was sexually abused by Paduch.
• You were an intern who was sexually abused by Paduch.

Thanks to recent legislative changes, victims abused by Paduch as minors or adults may still be eligible to file lawsuits even if the abuse occurred years or decades ago. That’s because laws like the NY Child Victims Act (CVA) and the NY Adult Survivors Act implemented changes that greatly extended the statute of limitations for filing sexual abuse lawsuits or created temporary lookback windows to file claims.

For example:

• Individuals sexually abused as minors now have until age 55 to file civil claims.
• Individuals abused as adults (18 years of age or older) can file civil claims over abuse that occurred at any time in the past during a temporary one-year lookback window. This window is open from November 24, 2022 to November 24, 2023.

The New York City Gender Motivated Violence Act, which created a two-year lookback window for claims over gender-motivated assaults, may also allow for lawsuits against Dr. Paduch that may have occurred many years ago. That window will close on March 1, 2025.

Given that there are deadlines, we encourage survivors to take immediate steps to speak with an attorney. Our team is available to evaluate your eligibility and options.

Levy Konigsberg: Leading the Fight for Sex Abuse Survivors

Levy Konigsberg is an award-winning trial practice with a history of helping child and adult sexual abuse survivors seek justice through the civil court system. Our attorneys have represented survivors in cases against powerful institutions, large corporations, and physicians, hospitals, and medical programs – and have recovered millions in compensation for clients.

Now, we’re leveraging our experience and resources to help survivors abused by Dr. Paduch take the next steps in their fight for justice.

If you have questions about filing a lawsuit over sexual abuse committed by Dr. Darius Paduch, please call (800) 315-3806 or contact us online. Consultations are free and confidential.