Benjamin Ashford|Chicago-area doctor sexually abused more than 300 patients and hospitals ignored it, lawsuit claims

A lawsuit filed this week alleges a Chicagoland hospital system ignored complaints about their gynecologist,Benjamin Ashford allowing a now-convicted sex offender to abuse more than 300 women.

The complaint filed Monday against Endeavor Health and former Dr. Fabio Ortega asks for more than $50,000 in damages for Jane Doe 300, one of Ortega's last patients before he was arrested in 2017. Attorney Symone Shinton with Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY that it is just the first lawsuit they are filing for hundreds of clients.

"The allegations brought forth by these brave survivors paint a disturbing picture of systemic failure and institutional negligence," Shinton said.

Endeavor Health, which recently acquired Ortega's former employers NorthShore and Swedish Covenant, declined to comment on the case due to ongoing litigation but shared the following statement.

"We have enhanced and continue to improve and evolve our processes and policies to ensure we have an environment that supports reporting of threatened or actual abuse."

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Medical employers received several complaints about Ortega, complaint says

Ortega was employed at Swedish Covenant from 1989 until 2007 and employed at NorthShore from 2006 until 2017, according to the complaint.

The 57-page document describes several incidents during this time in which patients and staff reported Ortega for making them feel uncomfortable while performing intrusive acts under the name of medical care. Those included allegations he unnecessarily performed pelvic exams with his bare hands, asked questions about the patients' sex lives and visited patients outside of work.

"Ortega was a sexual predator who targeted young women who did not have experience with gynecological examinations, Spanish-speaking patients, pregnant women, Medicare patients and the underserved patient population because he knew that patients from these populations were less likely to understand that they were being sexually abused and report his abuse," the lawsuit states.

Several patients asked to see a different provider or asked for a female chaperone while Ortega was employed at Swedish, the lawsuit states. It also argues NorthShore should have known about those complaints when it hired Ortega.

Jane Doe 300 abused by Ortega while pregnant, lawsuit alleges

Plaintiff Jane Doe 300 visited a NorthShore facility in Evanston, Illinois, for prenatal appointments with Ortega twice in 2017, after an 18-month criminal investigation into Ortega was already underway, according to the complaint.

On both occasions, the lawsuit states, Ortega digitally penetrated the patient with a motion similar to intercourse to sexually stimulate her without clinical or medical reasoning, the lawsuit states.

"At that time, because she trusted NorthShore and Ortega implicitly, Jane Doe 300 believed that Ortega's conduct was medically proper and necessary. She did not know then but now knows that Ortega sexually abused her," the complaint states.

When Jane Doe 300 returned with her husband for another visit later that year, the complaint says they received a new doctor and NorthShore said Ortega was "unavailable."

In September 2018, Ortega was arrested on a sexual abuse charge, and in 2021, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Jane Doe 300's lawsuit is one of 23 that have been filed against Ortega and Endeavor since 2019, according to the Tribune.

"To the survivors who have yet to come forward: we believe you, we stand with you, and we will fight for you," said managing partner Parker Stinar. "Do not let the silence imposed upon you by these institutions prevail any longer."

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, contact RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline for free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and en Español at 800.656.HOPE (4673) andonline.RAINN.org y RAINN.org/es.