A North Carolina gynecologist who came under fire two years ago for sharing explicit photos of patients without their consent, has been accused in a lawsuit of sexually assaulting a patient during an exam.
The lawsuit, filed May 5 in Gaston County by a patient identified only as "Jane Doe," alleges that Dr. Sean Michael Lynch, who previously worked for CaroMont Women's Health, assaulted the patient during an exam on June 30, 2023. Specifically, the lawsuit states that Lynch performed a pelvic exam, then sent the female nurse out of the room with the sample he swabbed. After the nurse was gone, the lawsuit states, Lynch touched the patient's vagina, inserting his fingers inside and keeping them there for more than five minutes. Lynch did not explain the purpose of this examination and became "short" with the patient when she questioned his intentions, the lawsuit states.
During a conversation in Lynch's office afterward, the patient had what she described as a panic attack, the lawsuit states. Lynch ordered a sonogram of the patient's right ovary, and when the patient was scheduled for a follow-up visit to discuss the results, she asked for a different doctor, the lawsuit states. The clinic staff refused to allow her to see another doctor, the lawsuit states. During that visit, which took place in August 2023, the patient experienced another panic attack, according to the lawsuit.
