My name is Justin. I'm just your average guy in my mid twenties who recently found himself in a rather sticky situation. An accident had left me with some expenses that I was trying to recover from the company that was responsible for the accident. With the help of my attorney we were hoping to recover enough to pay my medical bills. I was sitting in a doctors office with my attorney waiting to be examined by the defense's medical experts as my attorney was trying to prepare me as best she could.
"Justin, I think you should know that the attorney for the defense is a very difficult woman to work with. She's made a reputation for never losing a case for her clients and prides herself with doing just about anything she can get away with to get the plaintiffs do drop their cases. I expect she's going to make this medical exam as unpleasant an experience as she can in order to get you to refuse to complete the exam. Keep in mind that if you should decide to stop the exam at any point you will be in contempt of the court order granting the defense a chance to have a complete exam preformed by their own medical specialists. If that happens then you will really have no chance to collect the compensation you're due."
"However, they do need to stick close to proper medical guidelines. They'll probably start with the doctor and perhaps the lawyer taking a medical history. There may also be a court stenographer present to record your answers. I'll be there with you to see that you don't answer anything that I don't think you should. After the history is complete and the doctor is examining you I'll be right outside. If at anytime during the exam you feel that you are being asked to do something you're not comfortable with you only have to ask to speak to me and I'll advise you about what to do."
At that point a nurse came into the waiting room and called us in to see the doctor. As I walked down the hall with my attorney I was worrying almost as much about her as I was about me. She was a very kind and gentle person. Someone I couldn't imagine going into the aggressive world of law. As we reached the door I turned to look at her and she gave me a last smile of encouragement.
The doctor's office was a very richly appointed space with a huge oak desk dominating the center of the room. Seated behind the desk was the defense lawyer, a young, aggressive looking woman who seemed like she might eat lawyers like mine for breakfast. Next to her was the doctor who, to my surprise, was also a rather attractive young woman. Both women were well dressed in outfits that expressed power and authority,
Sitting next to the desk was another even younger woman who was chewing gum and looking at me with the strangest smirk. Her expression seemed to say, 'I know something you don't, but you're going to find out'. This was the stenographer.
We took our seats and the defense lawyer began by informing me that the doctor would be asking me questions about my injuries and my general medical condition.
The questions began innocently enough with a rehash of what I'd testified to in court. Soon they changed to things about my health and before long she began asking me about my sexual activity. My lawyer objected on the grounds that that had nothing to do with my injuries. That was when the defense lawyer stepped in for the first time. She informed us that the court had granted a full medical workup and that it was up to their medical personnel to decide what was pertinent and what wasn't and that if I was uncomfortable with any questions I could stop the exam at any time and she would report my refusal to her company.
After a series of really embarrassing questions about my sexual history and habits, throughout which the stenographer kept grinning at me, we were told that we would all now move into the exam room to begin the exam itself. My lawyer immediately jumped up and asked the defense lawyer what she meant by all of us.
She responded, "By all of us, counselor, I mean all of us. It's my right as the defendant's attorney to be present throughout the entire examination. As the legal representative for our company I must witness everything that's done so that I can be satisfied that everything our company requires is completed to my satisfaction. The stenographer must also be present to record everything that is said and in addition there will be a nurse present to assist the doctor."
My attorney protested that she wasn't going to allow her client to be questioned during the exam without having his own lawyer present.
The defense attorney smiled and said that my attorney was more than welcome to watch as well.
"The more the merrier." She added as she walked out of the room.
My lawyer took me aside and told me that it was obvious that the defense attorney was trying to make this as embarrassing as possible with the hope that I would refuse to continue. She also said that she was really sorry that she would be in the room as well, but that she didn't want me to be alone with that horrible lawyer. So it was up to me. Did I want to proceed?
I didn't see that I had much choice.
I was led into the exam room by the nurse, who looked like she was about the same age as the stenographer. For the moment she was the only one in the room with me as the lawyers and the doctor continued to argue out in the hall.
The nurse handed me a little cloth gown and told me to take off all of my clothes and put it on. She went over to the corner and began preparing some equipment. I asked if she was going to leave the room while I changed and she told me that for court exams I was not allowed to be alone in the exam room.
I went over to the corner and started to undress. Just as I was taking off my pants the door opened and in walked the stenographer. She smiled mischievously and said. "Don't mind me I'm just going to get set up."
I hurried to get changed as quickly as I could with the two of them watching me. After I had the gown on I realized that it was really short and barely covered me, so I stood in the corner trying to hold it down as much as possible.
The door opened again and in walked the two lawyers and the doctor. My lawyer truly looked like she was as embarrassed as I was and I was getting more and more embarrassed by the minute.
So here I was in a small room with five women about to undergo a medical exam that was probably designed to be as embarrassing as it could be.
And it was. The first thing the doctor did was to tell me to stand in the middle of the room and take off my gown.
My lawyer immediately objected, but the doctor informed her that she needed to get an overall impression of my body and the nature of how my so called injuries had effected me and my agility and coordination and that the only way she could do that was to see all of me and how each part of my body reacted.
The defense lawyer once more announced that if I didn't want to proceed we could stop at any time. My lawyer looked at me and said, "Justin, do you really want to go through with this?"
I looked down at the floor and slowly walked to the center of the room. I stood there for a minute until the doctor told me again to take off the gown and hand it to the nurse. Still looking down I slowly untied the gown and took it off and handed it to the nurse. I quickly covered myself with my hands, but the doctor said, "Hands at your sides."
I was standing there completely naked in front of everyone. I didn't dare look up and the silence in the room seemed to go on forever. No one said a thing until I finally heard the doctor walk toward me. She walked up and stood right in front of me.
"I want you to put your hands on top of your head and move your feet apart so that I can look over your body for scars and any other evidence of your injuries."
I slowly complied while still looking down at the floor.
She put one finger under my chin and pulled my face up so that I was looking her right in the eyes.
