The Investigation of a College Doctor
My name is Dana Sosnowski. I'm a private investigator, and I've got a story to tell.
You won't read about it in the news. Our investigations are private. All names used in this story are fictitious. Our clients don't want a legal prosecution. They just want to know what really happened.
This story is about medical misconduct. It got me thinking about a very public misconduct case involving Dr. George Tyndall. He's the infamous University of Southern California gynecologist accused of sexual misconduct by hundreds of young coeds.
This one never got to that level. More importantly, there was no crime; or was there? Either way, this is how the case fell in my lap.
Latte in hand I walked into my PI partner's office on a sunny Monday morning. My partner Bill abruptly handed me a thumb drive and evidence folder.
Bill's brow furrowed. "Dana, I think you should handle this one personally."
"Okay, why?"
"There's a video on that drive showing possible medical misconduct at a college health clinic. The female patient involved is refusing to speak with anyone about it. The chancellor of the college thinks this would be better handled by a female investigator. Remember, Chancellor Vanderlinden is a very important client of ours."
I challenged, "Don't we frown on playing the gender game?"
Bill laughed, "Dana, don't play our bullshit back to me! This is a sensitive situation for a loyal client. Besides, once you see the evidence, you'll understand."
I pushed harder to see what Bill already knew. "Was the video obtained legally?"
"The video gives credibility to the allegations, but it might not be admissible in a court of law. Listen, we don't want it circulating around and mysteriously ending up on the internet. Be careful with it."
"Bill, who found the video?"
"It seems that the college's security officer was investigating an after-hours break-in alert at the clinic. As he scanned all active cameras, he discovered footage of a female's medical examination."
"Did he report it to the chancellor?"
"Not right away; the pervert deleted the video from the security database, but he kept a copy on this thumb drive for himself. Supposedly, it's the only copy."
I had more questions: "Then how did Chancellor Vanderlinden get it from security?"
"Eventually, the security officer's guilt got to him. He thought better of it and gave the thumb drive to Vanderlinden. Since the officer came clean, Vanderlinden had him sign a non-disclosure and demoted him."
"He should have fired him. But if no one's complaining, why are we investigating?"
"Vanderlinden wants to know why his campus physician, Dr. Jason Johnson, was treating a student after office hours. He also wants to know why a non-college employee was involved."
Something was still missing. "So why didn't Vanderlinden just ask his campus physician about it?"
"There's suspicion that Dr. Jason Johnson and a male nurse may have used drugs to take advantage of the female patient. The chancellor doesn't want to confront him without a full understanding of what happened."
"Okay then, I will keep it under lock while I investigate."
I went back to my office and opened the file. The contents included a report about possible legal exposure and an overview of health center facilities. According to the report, the student health clinic was undergoing a remodeling. The security cameras in public areas were operational.
I popped the drive into my laptop to see what was causing all the concern. I looked at the date and time stamp. The video was about a year old and took place late in the afternoon. Visuals were clear, as was the audio track.
I concluded, "That doctor probably didn't know about the cameras."
I restarted the video; the lobby looked empty; all the lights were off. Two people entered the lobby from a side entrance. The first person was male, in his late teens or early twenties. The second person was female and about the same age.
I'm thinking, "Is this just student mischief?"
Then a man in a white coat entered the lobby. He must be Dr. Jason Johnson. I put on my headphones so I could raise the volume and hear the conversation.
Dr. Johnson spoke first: "Hi Diane, as promised, I can help you today, but I'll be assisting you off-the-books so we can work around the insurance issues."
Dr. Johnson then turned towards the young male and stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Doctor Jason Johnson, but just call me Dr. Jason. I assume you'll be waiting for Diane?"
The young male spoke softly, "Hi, Dr. Jason, I'm Jack. Diane asked me to come with her today."
As they exchanged introductions, another male entered the lobby. Both Diane and Jack seemed alarmed at his sudden appearance.
Dr. Jason turned to them. "This is Tom, my attending registered nurse. There is a legal requirement for secondary medical personnel to be present during any medical examination."
Tom was tall and good-looking, with a strong jaw and blue eyes. He was wearing green nurse scrubs and joined the conversation. "I'm only required to be present at the location, but not part of your examination."
Looking intently at Tom, Diane replied, "If that's the case, it's agreeable with me."
I stopped the video and jotted some notes:
"Four persons of interest: Dr. Jason Johnson, RN Tom, chaperone Jack, and patient Diane."
"The special arrangement was between Jason and Diane."
"Diane was not expecting Tom to be involved."
Returning to the video, I watched as Diane turned to Jack. "I'll be okay; it's no big deal. They are medical professionals, and it will be over with soon."
Tom then directed Diane towards an office. As they walked, Tom advised her, "You'll need to complete a consent form and undergo a brief health interview with Jason. After the interview, he will explain what's necessary."
As the trio left the lobby without Jack, Dr. Jason turned back to Jack, his tone firm but reassuring, "Please wait here and give us about an hour. There are vending machines down the corridor near the construction area. We'll come back and find you when we're finished."
