Several dozen men announced Jan. 25 that they are filing a lawsuit against Hoag Hospital and a Newport Beach doctor who is already facing multiple charges of sexually assaulting nine patients.
Dr. William Moore Thompson IV, an infectious diseases specialist serving the LGBT community, is accused of molesting 73 patients during their visits at his personal office in Newport Beach, at Hoag Memorial Hospital, and at his home, attorneys for the alleged victims said during a news conference.
“Over the span of a decade, Dr. Thompson is alleged to have utilized his position as a medical doctor to sexually abuse men that sought treatment from him,” said Morgan Stewart, a partner at Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, which is representing the plaintiffs.
According to the complaint, Dr. Thompson made his alleged victims undergo unnecessary tests as a cover for abusing them.
“Under the alleged guise of medical treatments, Dr. Thompson is alleged to have performed unnecessary and inappropriate medical procedures for his own sexual gratification,” Mr. Stewart said.
Several plaintiffs also shared their stories at the news conference.
Long-time patient Johnny Chung said his experience with the doctor changed gradually over the years.
“Initially, [the session] was professional and courteous, like any other normal doctor visits,” Mr. Chung said. “But once rapport and trust had been built within the first three months, he began to act inappropriately with each visit.”
He added that when he questioned the necessity of certain examinations, Dr. Thompson insisted that they were needed “to be thorough.”
Mr. Chung’s partner, Michael Glockner, said he went through similar experiences.
Mr. Glockner said he started seeing Dr. Thompson in 2012 due to complications that confined him to a wheelchair. However, the dynamics of the relationship between them shifted in 2015 after his recovery.
“I noticed his tone had changed. He got personal and very verbal,” he said. “When he would read the lab test to me, he would pull the computer over to me and sit side by side next to me, always rubbing my leg with his hand as he was reading the results.”
Mr. Glockner also said he later realized that he was not the lone victim after Mr. Chung—whom he had referred to the doctor—told him of similar incidents. The realization prompted him to come forward.
Several plaintiffs said that after the incidents, they’ve found it difficult to re-establish trust with doctors.
Hoag Hospital officials said that Mr. Thompson was an independent medical practitioner not employed by the hospital group, according to the Orange County Register. They added that though he held clinical privileges at the hospital, those were suspended following the charges filed against him last year.
The lawsuit came after the 56-year-old doctor was charged by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office with more than a dozen felony counts following his arrest in September 2023.
Attorneys said the number of alleged victims will top 90 when a second suit is filed in the coming weeks.
