Santa Cruz Doctor Facing Rape Charges Now Accused Of Malpractice

SANTA CRUZ, CA -- A Santa Cruz doctor, who is currently facing charges of child rape, is now accused of malpractice. A lawsuit was filed this month claiming James Kohut, who is being held in the county jail, used the wrong implants during a spinal surgery, according to a report by The Mercury News.

The Mercury News reported the plaintiff, Wendell Driver, is seeing $25,000 in losses after implants placed in his body during the October 2016 surgery caused "considerable pain, irritability, disability and distress." Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group and Dominican Hospital are listed as defendants, according to the article.

Kohut, a practicing surgeon in California for 20 years, is being sued while he is in the Santa Cruz County Jail. He is facing 48 felony charges after he was arrested for allegedly "raping children at a Santa Cruz resort, a Scotts Valley motel and other locations," The Mercury News reported. Police apparently obtained videos of him raping a victim in Watsonville.

Two other people are also facing charges in the same case, the newspaper reported.

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