A lawsuit has been filed by 17 patients, including four minors, against a doctor and the Southern California chiropractic clinic where he worked after authorities said a hidden camera was found in the clinic’s bathroom.
The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the California Superior Court in Los Angeles County after Nicholas Vanderhyde, a 40-year-old doctor at the Joint Chiropractic on McBean Parkway in Valencia, was arrested in June following the camera’s recovery from a bathroom in May.
The lawsuit accused the doctor of sexual abuse and harassment of patients and clinic staff, and alleged that negligent clinic ownership and management “created and exacerbated an environment where Dr. Vanderhyde had zero fear.”
Vanderhyde and the Fenton Chiropractic Corporation of California are accused of negligence, negligent hiring, supervision and retention, sexual battery, sexual harassment, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, premises liability, and distribution of sexually explicit materials.
Patients alleged that Vanderhyde would always insist they use the restroom before their treatment, and some said that the arrested doctor had inappropriately touched them during treatment.
“Management at The Joint allowed Dr. Vanderhyde to inappropriately examine and treat patients despite knowing that Dr. Vanderhyde was a danger to the public,” the lawsuit alleges. It adds that Dr. Vanderhyde “employed treatment measures not within the scope of services offered generally by The Joint” and said the clinic allowed this “without monitoring, investigating, or measuring for quality control.”
Janna Trolia, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told Newsweek that the hope is to identify which patients were recorded, and whether this included any children.
“While we respect the course of the criminal investigation process, we also hope to discover whether or not those images were shared to third parties in some fashion,” she said.
The Joint Chiropractic issued a statement on Tuesday that read, “At The Joint Chiropractic, the safety of our patients and staff, and the integrity of the service we provide, are always our highest priorities. We are not at liberty to discuss ongoing legal matters.”
The Joint Chiropractic has been approached by Newsweek for comment.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Department reported finding the camera on May 8, taped inside a cabinet pointing directly at the toilet. It was connected to a power bank that is believed to have allowed live footage to be streamed to the owner of the camera, they said.
Vanderhyde was arrested for possession of obscene material of a person under the age of 18 in June and has since been released on $5,000 bail.
Vanderhyde is no longer working at the clinic, but the investigation remains ongoing.
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