Former patient of late pediatrician suspected of child sex abuse crimes sues Kaiser Permanente

May 12-A woman has filed a lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente, alleging she was victimized as a child by a now deceased Clark County pediatrician under investigation for child sex abuse crimes.

Attorneys at Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC filed the lawsuit Monday in King County Superior Court on behalf of a former patient of Dr. Michael Wilmington. They say it is the first in a series they plan to bring against Wilmington's former employer Kaiser Permanente.

The lawsuit alleges the healthcare provider knew Wilmington, who was employed at the Salmon Creek Medical Office, posed a danger to its pediatric patients but failed to protect them.

Kaiser Permanente did not comment on the allegations in the suit.

"Our primary concern continues to be for anyone who has been affected by Dr. Wilmington's actions. We have attempted to notify every patient that Dr. Wilmington has seen and have encouraged any patient, parent or guardian who has questions or concerns, or needs health support, to call us," the organization said in an emailed statement.

"We have set up a dedicated line at 877-226-1264. We continue to urge anyone with information relevant to the investigation to contact local law enforcement. We have been fully cooperating with law enforcement and continue to actively support their investigation."

A Kaiser Permanente spokesperson previously said the organization fired Wilmington when it learned April 30 of the criminal investigation. The spokesperson could not immediately provide the number of letters sent to families under Wilmington's care.

"We recognize how troubling this news is given the trust you placed in us," a letter obtained by The Columbian states. "Please know that the safety and well-being of our patients is our highest priority."

'Hard to process'

The plaintiff, a 31-year-old Oregon resident, spoke with The Columbian via Zoom with an attorney at the firm present.

The Columbian does not identify victims of sexual assault.

"Once I read the news article, I remember thinking 'Oh my gosh' and validating all those feelings of discomfort I had as a child," the woman said. "It's kind of a delayed trauma, because it wasn't until it was in my face reading about it that I was able to process all these emotions of shame, guilt, fear, and just learning how to deal with it all ... and move forward. You just feel violated and dirty, and it's kind of hard to process because it's been years."

She said Wilmington was her family's pediatrician at Kaiser's Salmon Creek office when she was 6 to 11 years old. She stopped seeing him around the time she entered middle school.

The woman said Wilmington conducted medically unnecessary genital and breast examinations on her, oftentimes without gloves or a chaperone present. Wilmington required her to be nude during examinations, invited her and her family to his home, offered his personal contact information to her, exposed her to pornographic material, and made repeated, unprompted comments about his nudism practices.

She asked her mother if she could see a female pediatrician after Wilmington started asking her about her menstrual cycle and body hair, she said.

"He pulled out a hardcover book with photos of nude women in provocative positions with some women bleeding," she said. "He was telling me, 'It's natural. You're becoming a woman.' "

In retrospect, she said, there were multiple instances of inappropriate contact.

"I was getting a full-on breast exam when I didn't have developed breasts to be examined when I was there for a sore throat," she said. "I never told anyone. I was a very shy child, so my interactions with people always left me nervous. And I had no idea this wasn't normal so I just trusted that this was what was supposed to happen and just chalked it up to 'This is a doctor. I guess I should trust him.' "

Pattern of conduct

Attorneys with the law firm told The Columbian dozens of patients described a consistent pattern of inappropriate conduct by Wilmington during medical appointments over decades. Many instances occurred in front of, or were reported to, other medical providers. The lawsuit alleges these reports were ignored.

"If you don't have the medical knowledge, you can't tell what's appropriate or not. He manipulated people who couldn't speak to what he was doing. I trusted Dr. Wilmington and the institutions that employed him to keep me safe. To hear that complaints were met with inaction is devastating," the woman said. "We should be asking why this person was allowed to do this for so long and why were these reports not investigated? Why did they let this happen?"

Vancouver police were investigating Wilmington, 61, in connection with three other Clark County residents - former PeaceHealth employee Chad Hartley, 36, his wife, Anna May Hartley, 41, and William J. Sneiderwine III, 61, all of Vancouver. Anna Hartley was scheduled to appear Tuesday afternoon in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree child molestation and first-degree trafficking. Chad Hartley and Sneiderwine are being held in the Clark County Jail on $800,000 and $750,000 bail, respectively. Both are accused of child sex crimes including molestation.

Wilmington, of La Center, was found dead by apparent suicide along a Lewis County highway May 2, a day after a Clark County judge issued a warrant for his arrest for first-degree child molestation. The Lewis County Sheriff's Office is investigating his death but said there were no signs of foul play.

The woman said she experienced conflicting feelings when she heard of Wilmington's death.

"There's a part of me now that feels angry because (Wilmington) made this decision, and it could potentially leave a lot of questions unanswered," she said. "You got away with this for years, and you should be having these difficult conversations. ... I don't want to sound cold, but (Wilmington is) a coward."

She said she feels sympathy for his family and wishes he had taken accountability.

She encourages others to come forward but also cautions people to do what's best for their well-being.

"I do think coming forward and helping make people take accountability is important. I know it's scary and you might feel embarrassed or shame, but if you have questions there are people there for you," she said.

Attorneys with the law firm ask that anyone who has been affected by Wilmington and has not come forward to contact them or their local law enforcement agencies.

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