LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The DiPietro Law Firm in conjunction with Arias Sanguinetti filed a civil lawsuit today on behalf of 35 patients of former Beverly Hills OB/GYN Barry J. Brock in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The lawsuit is the first step to holding Cedars-Sinai accountable for its role in covering up Brock’s serial sexual exploitation and abuse of female patients under the guise of medical care.
Included among the patients who were subjected to Brock’s misconduct are business professionals, financial executives, artists, stay at home mothers, and a military veteran who served the country in order to help protect our freedoms. Attorney Anthony T. DiPietro of The DiPietro Law Firm states: “The two things that all of the patients have in common is the fact that they were exposed to a known serial sexual predator by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center—and the fact that all of them are female who were simply seeking medical care for themselves and their unborn children.”
In August 2024, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center officially suspended Dr. Barry J. Brock’s medical privileges based on reports obtained by the hospital about Brock’s sexual misconduct with female patients. Several weeks later, Brock attempted to contact some of those former patients, telling them he was planning to “retire” from the practice of obstetrics and gynecology. However, an article published in the Los Angeles Times on September 14, 2024, indicates Brock was “terminated” by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a few weeks after Brock’s original suspension was put in place.
Cedars-Sinai Knew and Covered Up Brock’s Abuse
The recently filed civil lawsuits assert that Cedars-Sinai Health Systems, and its related hospitals and medical clinics including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, conspired to help cover up the disgraced OB/GYN Barry J. Brock’s long history of sexual exploitation and abuse of women. Despite knowing of Dr. Brock’s misconduct, the Complaint details how Cedars-Sinai continued to renew OB/GYN Brock’s medical privileges for decades, creating an environment where physician-on-patient sexual exploitation and abuse was allowed to continue wholly unchecked.
Attorney Anthony T. DiPietro states: “Cedars-Sinai Medical Center knew about Barry Brock’s sexual exploitation and abuse of patients for decades. But instead of protecting its patients, the only thing Cedars did was lie, gaslight, and help cover up Brock’s crimes—while exposing a countless number of unsuspecting patients to a known serial sexual predator. Cedars-Sinai must be held accountable for enabling and covering up Brock’s abuse.”
Accountability Under California Law
The action is filed under, among other things, California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act (CCP § 340.16), which allows victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse to seek justice even if their claims were previously time-barred. The law empowers survivors whose claims involve sexual offenses to hold not only their abusers accountable, but also the institutions that helped protect the abusers and ratified the misconduct.
“Cedars-Sinai Medical Center received countless reports over the years from patients who were being sexually exploited and abused by Brock—but repeatedly failed to take any action to protect their patients.” said attorney Anthony T. DiPietro. Attorney Mike Arias adds “Women were in their most vulnerable state when this predator doctor not only took advantage of them, but committed these heinous acts over and over.”
About The DiPietro Law Firm
The DiPietro Law Firm is a nationally recognized leader in sexual exploitation and abuse litigation, medical malpractice, and other high-stakes civil actions. Founded by Anthony T. DiPietro, Esq., The Firm has secured several landmark settlements for victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse, including over $250 million from Columbia University and The New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and their convicted felon OB/GYN Robert Hadden. Some of The Firm’s groundbreaking work was memorialized in the award-winning, true-crime podcast series Exposed: Cover-Up at Columbia University. The DiPietro Law Firm is dedicated to protecting the rights and safety of patients, and ensuring that institutions are held accountable for their misconduct and criminal cover-ups.
About Arias Sanguinetti
With offices in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and Las Vegas, Arias Sanguinetti has a long history of successfully representing individuals who have been injured or abused through no fault of their own. The firm's attorneys are recognized by peer organizations and legal publications for their work on behalf of clients nationwide, which includes obtaining more than $1.5 billion in personal injury, sex abuse, mass tort, and other claims. This includes an $852 million settlement against USC on behalf of survivors of OB/GYN George Tyndall’s sexual misconduct.
For more information, contact The DiPietro Law Firm at (310) 388-3600 or visit www.ATDLaw.com or www.TheFirmLosAngeles.com