A psychiatrist with offices in El Cajon and Chula Vista is accused of sexually assaulting a third former patient by pulling down her dress and licking her exposed breast and nipple, according to a recent accusation filed by the Medical Board of California.
The accusation against Dr. Leon Fajerman was filed on Sept. 13. According to the accusation, after the doctor assaulted the woman, he “told [the patient] to kiss him.”
The alleged incident happened Dec. 27, 2016, at Fajerman’s office inside the San Ysidro Health Center.
According to the accusation, the patient, identified by the initials “R.Q.”, twice told Fajerman to leave her alone and kept her appointments with the doctor because she needed psychiatric treatment and pain medication.
During one of those appointments, Fajerman allegedly told the patient to meet him at another office, where he “undressed [her and] touched [her] breasts, buttocks and vagina and had unprotected sexual intercourse” with the woman.
According to the Medical Board accusation, the patient at one point asked Fagerman to stop, “...to which he replied that he was going to give her the [pain] medication she requested” and that he did write her a prescription for that medication after the encounter.
The Medical Board’s 12-page accusation also includes details about allegedly inappropriate sexual acts with two other patients, including Linda Sanchez, who detailed her allegations against Fajerman in an interview with NBC 7 Investigates.
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Another patient, identified as “S.D.” was the first female patient to complain to police and the Medical Board about Fajerman’s alleged misbehavior. Her allegations persuaded a state administrative law judge to suspend Fajerman’s medical license.
The Medical Board now seeks to revoke Fajerman’s license.
Fajerman has declined to comment on the allegations, but his attorney has consistently denied the claims made by patients “S.D.” and Linda Sanchez.
When asked about the new allegations lodged by the Medical Board on behalf of patient “R.Q.”, Fajerman’s attorney, Bob Frank, told NBC 7 Investigates, “we have seen this before, where after publicity of one person’s accusations, others, their motives unknown, allege similar claims, many times later proven to be false.”
Frank said this latest claim of sexual impropriety by patient “R.Q.” is a “ retaliatory accusation” made because Fajerman had refused to provide that patient with “a narcotic pain medication.” The attorney said he will file a denial of the allegations with the Medical Board and seek a hearing to present his patient’s defense.
Attorneys for patient “S.D.” filed a civil lawsuit against Fajerman, accusing him of medical negligence and sexual harassment. The lawsuit identifies the patient as a 56-year-old woman who had been Fajerman’s patient for almost ten years. “S.D’s” alleges Fajerman kissed and groped her during an October 2016 appointment in his Chula Vista office.
The lawsuit was filed Aug. 21 and seeks damages to be determined at trial. Fajerman’s attorneys have not yet filed an answer to the complaint. According to superior court records, a case management conference is scheduled for Feb. 9, 2018. Attorney Jeffrey Doggett, who represents Fajerman in the civil lawsuit, was unavailable for comment.
NBC 7 Investigates is reporting on medical professionals accused by the public and the California Medical Board of wrongdoing in order to bring information to the public and increase transparency of medical practices in the San Diego region. Currently, this information is reported by the Medical Board on its website.
