A lawsuit has been filed against Saginaw, Mich.-based Arun Veera, MD, and Covenant Healthcare, accusing the physician of sexual assault and the health system of turning a blind eye, MLive reported March 25.
The lawsuit was filed by one alleged victim, according to the report, but more than four patients have allegedly come forward. The patient in the suit began seeing Dr. Veera in 2016, and the first signs of inappropriate behavior allegedly began when the patient was 19 years old. Dr. Veera allegedly sent her lewd and explicit messages, among other allegations.
By the time the patient came forward in October 2022, Covenant already had reason to suspect he acted inappropriately with other patients, according to the report, as another patient filed a complaint in 2021.
After the second complaint, the hospital began requiring a chaperone to accompany him during visits with female patients, which Dr. Veera ignored, and he was suspended until an internal investigation was completed. Covenant has since ended his employment.
The four counts in the lawsuit include assault and battery and medical malpractice. The Michigan Board of Medicine has suspended Dr. Veera's license.
Becker's has reached out to Covenant for comment and will update the story if more information becomes available.