83 Indiana women say their OB-GYN sexually abused them during 'lingering and sensual' exams, including by taking secret photos: lawsuit

• A group of 83 patients are suing their former OB-GYN alleging medical malpractice.
• The women allege Dr. William David Moore performed inappropriate and unnecessary exams and photographed their breasts and genitals.

A group of 83 women and counting are suing an Indiana obstetrician-gynecologist, alleging that Dr. William David Moore got away for decades with performing "lingering and sensual" examinations that were clinically unnecessary.

The women — who range in age from 15 to 73 years old — also allege that Moore often did not wear gloves during such examinations, and photographed their breasts or genitals under the guise of medical and gynecological care.

Most of the women included in the medical malpractice lawsuit felt uncomfortable with Moore's procedures, but assumed they were either medically necessary or part of standard gynecological care, their attorney, Stephanie Cassman, told Insider.

Only after the Indiana Attorney General's Office began investigating Moore — resulting in his license being suspended in January at an emergency hearing — did many of the women realize their former doctor had treated them inappropriately and violated their trust, Cassman said.

"Many of these women are just now seeing a new provider after his practice closed, and are learning that things they had been told by him, such as, 'You have cancerous cells on your cervix,' that they just accepted, were not true," Cassman said. "You can imagine their horror to hear that."

Neither Moore nor an attorney representing Moore responded to Insider's requests for comment. Marion General Hospital, where Moore occasionally saw patients, told Insider in a statement it cannot discuss details of the allegations due to patient confidentiality and privacy laws. The hospital referred to Moore as "a physician who formerly held medical staff privileges."

"Marion Health is currently reviewing the allegations of malpractice made in the complaint. It is our mission to provide high quality and compassionate care to our patients," the statement said.

Allegations against Moore first caught the public's attention after the attorney general's office filed a petition for Moore's suspension, citing complaints to the Indiana State Police by several former patients, and an interview with a nurse who worked with Moore.

Moore touched and examined his patients in a 'sexual' manner, and took photographs without patient consent, court documents allege

According to the attorney general's court filing from January 13, one patient alleged that Moore once rubbed her genitals "in a manner that she felt was sexual" and announced, after inserting a speculum, that he would take photographs. The patient said she assumed Moore would use a device to take internal images, but then heard the distinctive shutter sound of an iPhone or iPad.

Another patient didn't realize Moore had taken photographs of her vulva until detectives showed them to her, the court documents said. A third said Moore called her "so pure" when she told him she was a virgin, and suggested manually breaking her hymen "because it's hard for me to see."

A fourth patient told investigators Moore would perform breast and pelvic examinations that were "very slow and lingered," and often caused pain, including pinching her nipples and inserting fingers into her vagina and anus.

The court documents also cited a nurse who sought to report Moore to the hospital, after she was told by fellow nurses they had to cover Moore's lap because he "often had erections" during vaginal deliveries.

In a January statement to the local Fox affiliate WXIN, Moore's attorney denied all the allegations contained within the attorney general's court filing, and said patient confidentiality laws prevented Moore from commenting any further on the allegations.

"Dr. David Moore was a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist for more than 40 years before retiring at age 76 in December, 2022. His medical license was never subjected to any disciplinary action by any state licensing agency during his long career," the statement said. "He cares about his patients and worked very hard to provide them with excellent care."

The lawsuit says some of Moore's patients were treated by him as far back as the late 90s, and others were treated by him as recently as 2022.

As the news of the lawsuit and the attorney general's investigation has spread, more of Moore's former patients have reached out to Cassman's firm with the same allegations, she said.

"They're humiliated. They feel used and abused. Many have a fear of physicians now, and getting the type of examinations that are needed for women's health," Cassman said.