"We are determined to end the cycle of institutional abuse. Northwestern can no longer hide from their public-facing elitism and secret coverups," Tamara Holder, an attorney representing the plaintiff, said in a statement to Crain's.
Settled: Jane Doe 42 v NorthShore University HealthSystem & Fabio Ortega
Attorney Tamara Holder her team of brilliant lawyers have settled the case of Jane Doe 42 v NorthShore University HealthSystem & Fabio Ortega.
For more information about the case, please see the following YouTube video:
Please email: contact@tamaraholder.com or call 312-440-9000 if you have any information about Fabio Ortega, NorthShore or Swedish
Settled: Jane Doe 32 v NorthShore University HealthSystem & Fabio Ortega
Attorney Tamara Holder her team of brilliant lawyers have settled the case of Jane Doe 32 v NorthShore University HealthSystem & Fabio Ortega.
For more information about the case, please see the following YouTube video:
Please email: contact@tamaraholder.com or call 312-440-9000 if you have any information about Fabio Ortega, NorthShore or Swedish
Please call 312-440-9000 or email intake@tamaraholder.com if you have any information about Northwestern, the Athletic Department, Derrick Gragg, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, or any other issues related to sexual abuse in education.
Jane Doe 46 has filed a lawsuit against gynecologist Fabio Ortega in Cook County Circuit Court.
In October 2021, Ortega pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two female NorthShore patients and was sentenced to three-years in prison. He served one-year and was released on October 28, 2022.
Despite Ortega pleading guilty to sexually assaulting two patients, Chicago-based hospital groups NorthShore and Swedish continue to defend their institutions and Ortega from liability, claiming that their trusting female patients are either confused or lying; or, if the sexual assaults did happen, the hospitals are not responsible for Ortega’s abuses. One woman alleges that Ortega sexually assaulted her at Swedish when she was just 14 years old.
According to numerous lawsuits filed by attorney Tamara Holder, NorthShore knew about Ortega, and yet it continued to allow him to work with unfettered access to female patients. The lawsuits also allege that even after NorthShore became aware of a criminal investigation into Ortega, in early 2017, it continued to allow him to see women behind closed doors and sexually assault them. Further, the lawsuits allege that NorthShore failed to warn its patients that other women had accused Ortega of sexually perverted conduct, and failed to fully investigate its patients’ complaints.
Ms. Holder currently represents 7 female patients against Swedish, 16 female patients against NorthShore, and 2 female patients against Ortega alone. They intend to file more lawsuits...
If you have information about Ortega or NorthShore, please call us at 312-440-9000.
The Law Firm of Tamara N. Holder, LLC, is a boutique practice founded in 2005 by Chicago-based attorney Tamara Holder. The firm is focused on cases that address institutional abuse, from sexual harassment and racial discrimination in the workplace to sexual assault and abuse. For more information, visit tamaraholder.com
April 7, 2020
Today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker granted clemency for our client and commuted his sentence. He's going home!
Our client was just 14 years old when he was charged as an adult for a gun-sale-gone-bad involving his adult cousin and a man who was attempting to purchase an illegal firearm. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
13 years later, on April 7, 2020, Gov. Pritzker commuted our client's sentence, releasing him 12 years early from the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The Law Firm of Tamara N. Holder, LLC petitioned Gov. Pritzker for their client's early release just last year. Literally, in April of 2019, we presented our case to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. While in prison, our client became involved in rehabilitation organizations, he became an accomplished artist, and he took advantage of every educational opportunity available, albeit the opportunities were slim.
Helping this young get his freedom back is one of Tamara's proudest moments of her 15-year career as an equal rights and pardon attorney.
We wish our client the very best. While he was incarcerated, he became an incredible artist and motivational speaker. We know he's going to have a great life as a free man. We look forward to filing another petition for a complete pardon - total forgiveness - one day down the road.
Thank you to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board and its staff, as well as to Gov. Pritzker, his legal team and staff.
In December 2019, our firm filed two lawsuits against Swedish Covenant Lawsuit on behalf of former female patients who allege they were sexually abused by gynecologist Fabio Ortega. Ortega has since been indicted for sexually abusing two other patients while he was an OBGYN at NorthShore University HealthSystem.
According to one woman's complaint:
During every appointment, he engaged in the following behavior, disguised as a medically necessary exam, in ways including but not limited to:
a. Ortega touched her vagina;
b. He inserted his fingers into her vagina;
c. Ortega would cause her extreme pain when he inserted his fingers inside of her.
d. When she told Ortega that he was hurting her, he would compare his fingers to her husband’s penis with comments like, “I am sure you’ve had bigger down there,” and then proceed to shove his fingers deeper into her vagina;
e. After he removed his fingers from her vagina, he would linger over her, then remove his gloves and touch the inside of her thigh with his bare hand;
f. During most appointments, he would grope her breasts “to check for lumps,” even though she never complained to about her breasts;
g. During most appointments, she would ask to hear her baby’s heartbeat but he would dismiss her request and say, “Everything is fine.”
According to a second woman's complaint:
During every single visit, Ortega would engage in the following behavior disguised as medically necessary exams:
a. Ortega would first instruct her lay down and open her legs;
b. Next, He would touch her clitoris with his ungloved fingers;
c. Then, would he would tell her to “just relax,” as he inserted his ungloved fingers into her vagina;
d. Then, he would instruct her to “squeeze my fingers;”
e. Then, he would stand closely over her, between her open legs, as he took notes, in an effort to disguise his sexual assault as a medically necessary exam.
NorthShore has also been sued by six (6) women who allege Ortega sexually assaulted them under the guise of providing proper medical care at Evanston Hospital, and his clinics in Skokie and Lincolnwood, Illinois.
These two patients will return to court once the courthouse reopens following the coronavirus pandemic. NorthShore has claimed in recent filings that it is not liable for Ortega's behavior, despite having knowledge of patient complaints and continuing to allow him to practice without unfettered access to trusting female patients. /em>
If you or someone you know has information about Fabio Ortega, please contact Tamara Holder 847-651-7222 or contact@tamaraholder.com
