Editor’s Note: The following story discusses topics of rape and sexual assault that some may find unsettling. We advise caution to readers. For those affected by sexual assault, support and confidential resources are available through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or on their website.

A civil lawsuit was recently filed by a woman known as “Jane Doe 100” against a Washington state obstetrician/gynecologist, citing physical and sexual misconduct. Her attorney reports that over 100 women have made similar allegations, with incidents dating back more than twenty years.

The lawsuit implicates Dr. Mark E. Mulholland in such misconduct and accuses medical institutions including Providence St. Joseph Health, Providence Health & Services, and Kadlec Regional Medical Center of being aware but dismissive of complaints against Mulholland.

In the complaint by Jane Doe 100, she describes a visit to Mulholland in August 2022, during which he allegedly conducted a lengthy, gloveless breast exam. It was described as excessively long and thorough in the complaint.

The complaint also details inappropriate comments Mulholland allegedly made about Doe 100’s body and inquiries about her relationship status.

Doe 100’s husband was in the waiting room at the time of the incident, the complaint states. 

Dozens of women made similar sexual abuse allegations

Doe 100’s attorney, Tamara Holder, told that she came forward with her case after learning other patients made similar allegations against him.

“She, like so many women, believed that No. 1, the doctor is in the position of power. He’s the one who has all of the trust,” Holder said.

Attorneys Beverly Holder and Elizabeth Hanley of Schroeter Goldmark Bender are advocating on behalf of more than 150 women who claim to have suffered misconduct by Mulholland.

The Washington Medical Commission filed a complaint against the OB-GYN on April 29 of this year for alleged violations of “unprofessional conduct and abuse.” Enforcement action is presently pending according to the official website.

“Once the women started to see on the news that this doctor was under investigation by the medical board, they started to come forward and say, ‘Oh my god, me too,” Holder said. 

Holder said complaints go back as far as 24 years, in which the women reported similar, inappropriate practices.

“This just goes to show you, women are not believed, unless they come forward in tens of dozens or hundreds now of women coming forward,” Holder said. 

Lawsuits claim health care providers ignored sexual abuse complaints

Holder stated that several women told her that they alerted Kadlec to their allegations regarding Mulholland.

“I do know that all of the women who’ve reported to us that they complained were never followed up with; they were told things like, ‘Oh, well, he always does it that way.’ That’s if they were lucky, they got that kind of response. Many people just didn’t get a response,” Holder said. 

She said the woman contacted scheduling administrators, other doctors and “people all the way up the food chain,” and they were all allegedly “brushed off.”

“Everybody across the board knew that this guy had multiple complaints from multiple women,” Holder said. 

Attorneys at the Seattle-based firm Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC have filed seven additional lawsuits against Mulholland and the health care providers, accusing the health centers of ignoring claims for two decades.

On the firm’s website, attorney Mallory Allen called it “the biggest known cases of sexual abuse in a medical setting in Washington State history,” likening it to cases like the disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar.

“We’ve heard from patients and former staff that Kadlec was aware of Dr. Mulholland’s disgusting behavior as far back as 2005, but instead of upholding their legal and ethical obligations to take action to protect patients from sexual abuse, these medical institutions turned a blind eye and enabled it,” Allen said.

A Providence spokesperson told , “We cannot comment on allegations that are part of an ongoing Department of Health investigation, other than to say we are fully cooperating with the state in this matter. Dr. Mulholland is not currently practicing at our clinic.”

reached out to Mulholland’s attorney and Kadlec Regional Medical Center for comment and did not hear back at the time of publication.

There are no criminal charges against Mulholland thus far.

“We represent a woman who went to the police in November of 2023, and they said something to the effect of, ‘we can’t investigate something like this’,” Holder said.