A former NorthShore University HealthSystem/Swedish Covenant obstetrics and gynecology doctor - Fabio Ortega, 75 – has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting one of our clients, and another woman, during closed-door exams, in 2016 and 2017. In exchange for his plea of guilty, to two counts of felony Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, Ortega was sentenced to three-years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

After his plea, our client made a Victim Impact Statement to Ortega and NorthShore’s lawyers, saying, “You have broken me. You haunt my dreams and creep into my most intimate moments. I am a shell of my former self. I'm not living, I am barely surviving day to day... No matter what I do, how much medicine I take, how many times a week I see my therapist, how many people I surround myself with, this will forever be my new identity. I will always be a victim but I am hoping that one day I will learn to be a survivor.” Ms. Doe 3 is available for further comment.

The NorthShore/Swedish female patients allege that Ortega engaged in the following perverted conduct behind closed-doors:

• Ortega penetrated his fingers into female patients’ vaginas;
• Ortega grabbed female patients’ breasts;
• Ortega asked female patients’ sexually perverted questions;
• Ortega touched female patients’ anuses;
• Ortega called female patients late at night, in an effort to groom them.

The lawsuits also allege that NorthShore’s top officials - including its head of the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department - allowed Ortega to continue to work despite knowing he was under criminal investigation for sexual assault. Then, NorthShore allowed Ortega to quietly retire rather than fire him. The women’s claims span over the years of 1996-2017.

“Ortega's guilty plea would not have occurred without the help of many people outside of the NorthShore system. We are so thankful for the investigators at Skokie and Lincolnwood police departments, the prosecutors with the Cook County State's Attorney's office. These are the people who believed Ortega's victims. NorthShore did not. Instead, NorthShore and Swedish choose profits over patient safety. They ignored the cries of their female patients. They harbored a sexual predator.

And still, even after Ortega's guilty plea, they refuse to apologize to the female patients who were abused under their roof. NorthShore and Swedish continue to gaslight Ortega's victims and say they are not liable for his abuses. In court filings, NorthShore/Swedish have made a litany of defenses, including that Ortega’s conduct was proper; that the women are confused or lying; and, that NorthShore/Swedish are not liable because the women’s claims are time-barred by the statute of limitations. We are determined to end the institutional abuse of women who put their lives into the hands of their healthcare providers,” says Chicago-based attorney Tamara Holder.

To date, Ms. Holder and her co-counsel Johanna J. Raimond have filed a combined 14 lawsuits against NorthShore and Swedish. Currently, there are seven pending lawsuits against NorthShore, and two pending lawsuits against Swedish Covenant, where Ortega worked before NorthShore. NorthShore has settled at least 6 lawsuits since 2019.

If you have additional information about NorthShore or Ortega, please contact us at: 312-818-3850 or email: contact@tamaraholder.com.

NorthShore University HealthSystem has settled with three more of our clients who claim they were sexually assaulted by Dr. Fabio Ortega, an OB/GYN who practiced at NorthShore's Skokie, Evanston and Lincolnwood offices, and Evanston Hospital.

One NorthShore University HealthSystem patient alleged she was sexually assaulted by Dr. Ortega at Evanston Hospital just house after she gave birth to her daughter. That patient, and another patient, claimed that NorthShore knew about Ortega's sexually perverted conduct and allowed him to see patients even while he was under investigation for sexual assault. In fact, Dr. Richard Silver who heads the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology met with Ortega and continued to allow him to see women without a chaperone. Allegations include touching women's vaginas, grabbing their breasts, and asking them sexually perverted questions under the guise of performing proper pelvic exams.

Ortega is facing two charges of sexual assault in Cook County. NorthShore continues to stand-by gynecologist Dr. Ortega and is defending itself, and him, in legal proceedings. Swedish Covenant Health where Ortega worked before going to NorthShore is also defending Ortega is two lawsuits.

If you have information about Fabio Ortega, please contact us: contact@tamaraholder.com

The Law Firm of Tamara N. Holder, LLC 312-818-3850

THE LAW FIRM OF TAMARA N. HOLDER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MICHAEL REINSDORF (CHICAGO BULLS), TOM RICKETTS (CHICAGO CUBS) AMONG BIG CHICAGO NAMES ON NORTHSHORE UNIVERSITY HEALTHSYSTEM BOARD OF DIRECTORS WHILE HOSPITAL GROUP HARBORED SEXUAL PREDATOR GYNECOLOGIST

NorthShore’s top officials knew that Fabio Ortega was under criminal investigation for sexual assault, had history of complaints, yet still allowed him to work unsupervised, concealed investigation from female patients.

This week, Jane Doe 17 filed a 10-count complaint against Dr. Fabio Ortega and NorthShore University HealthSystem alleging:

• Michael Reinsdorf, Tom Ricketts, A. Steven Crown were on NorthShore’s Board of Directors in 2017 when NorthShore knew Dr. Fabio Ortega was under active criminal investigation for sexually assaulting female patients. The Board is responsible for credentialing of its doctors.
• Despite being a multi-billion-dollar charitable institution, NorthShore applied for, and received, $85 million in CARES Act” grants – the statute was intended to protect financially insecure hospitals during the COVID-19 crisis.
• NorthShore falsely claims it provides patients with “the right to be free from mental, physical, sexual, and verbal abuse…neglect…and exploitation.”
• NorthShore harbored, for thirteen years, a now-twice-indicted male gynecologist – Dr. Fabio Ortega – who sexually assaulted multiple women under the guise of providing legitimate medical care.
• For years, female patients complained that Ortega touched their anuses, penetrated his fingers into their vaginas, grabbed their breasts, rubbed their thighs, and asked them sexually perverted questions. Rather than believe the women, NorthShore ignored them, and continued to steer trusting women to Ortega. Women complained when Ortega was at Swedish Hospital, too, before NorthShore hired him.
• In February 2017, police notified NorthShore that Ortega was under criminal investigation for sexually assaulting a woman at one of its clinics. NorthShore immediately hired defense attorneys to protect itself, while continuing to steer women to Ortega and concealing that he was under active criminal investigation.
• In July 2017, NorthShore scheduled Jane Doe 17 who was then just 21-years old, for a gynecological exam with Ortega. NorthShore not only concealed from her that Ortega was under criminal investigation for sexual assault, it failed to even supervise him during his closed-door “exam.” Ortega then sexually assaulted her.
• The 10-count complaint demands a trial by jury and seeks unspecified damages
• In other lawsuits, NorthShore defends that it is not responsible for Ortega and that his conduct was legitimate – essentially stating that the women are lying.

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