INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana attorney general's office is seeking to suspend a Marion medical doctor's license after accusations he sexually assaulted and photographed his patients without their consent.
Editor's note: This story and an embedded document include references to accusations that some readers may find disturbing.
A petition was filed last week with the state's medical licensing board to keep Dr. William David Moore from practicing medicine. In it, the AG's office calls Moore "a clear and present danger to the public."
So far, the attorney general's office reports at least four of Moore's former patients and a nurse have come forward with allegations against him. The AG's office writes in their petition for summary suspension that they anticipate more claims coming in. They're asking the state board for an emergency hearing to suspend Moore's license.
It comes less than a month after Moore announced he would be retiring from practicing medicine and closing down his Marion office.
Consumer complaints filed with the attorney general's office say one patient went to see Moore for an exam last April. That person, listed as "Patient A," said that during the examination, Moore inserted a speculum into her vagina and told her he was going to take photographs. Patient A believed he meant he was going to use a scope to take internal images.
Patient A then heard the shutter sound associated with an iPad or iPhone. She said he removed the speculum and inserted his fingers and rubbed her genitals in a manner she felt was sexual. She reported the incident to Indiana State Police.
Later, Patient A made a Facebook post stating she'd been sexually assaulted by a gynecologist during an exam and that he had taken pictures without her consent. Within 30 minutes of making that post, she began receiving messages from women asking if it was Dr. Moore, according to the petition for summary suspension.
The petition reports 20 to 25 women have reached out to Patient A so far.
According to the petition, Patient B told investigators that during an appointment, Moore asked her if she was sexually active. Patient B told him no and that she was a virgin. He replied by saying, "Oh, you're so pure."
During that same appointment, Patient B reported Moore stated to her, "If you aren't sexually active within the next year, I will have to manually break your hymen because it's hard for me to see."
After meeting with detectives, Patient B learned there were multiple photos of her lower body, including her genitals, in her medical chart.
Other patients came forward telling investigators Moore touched them inappropriately, took non-consensual photos of their genitals and even brought them in for frequent exams without providing them results.
A nurse at Marion General Hospital also came forward. She reported that she had been told by nurses who worked with Moore that during vaginal deliveries, they would have to assist him in covering his lap as he often had erections during the deliveries. The nurse told investigators she'd reported it to Marion General Hospital.
Moore is still listed as a provider on Marion General Hospital's website. He is also listed as the health officer for Grant County Health Department.
The Indiana Medical Licensing Board is expected to hold a hearing next week about Moore.
13News reached out to the Grant County Prosecutor's Office about the matter. They say no case reports or documentation have been provided to them for review of possible charges.
13News also reached out to Moore's former medical office, who has not responded.
Ronald Mingus, Moore's attorney, shared the following statement with 13News:
"Dr. David Moore was a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist for more than 40 years before retiring at age 76 in December, 2022. His medical license was never subjected to any disciplinary action by any state licensing agency during his long career. He cares about his patients and worked very hard to provide them with excellent care. Dr. Moore is prohibited by patient confidentiality laws from discussing the care he provided to his patients or sharing any documents related to their care. Dr. Moore denies the allegations filed by the Attorney General’s office and is prohibited from patient confidentiality laws from commenting further at this time."