Nurse Accuses Newton Doctor Of Sexual Assault

NEWTON, MA — A nurse is suing a Newton doctor who recently admitted to Medicare fraud, claiming that he sexually assaulted her while on the job. The lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges that Dr. Hooshang Poor groped her at a Canton nursing home in 2016.

The nurse reported the assault to the Human Resources offices at the Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation at Tower Hill Nursing Home in Canton, where the assault took place, according to court documents. The nurse's attorney, Carmen Durso, said the human resources department didn't do anything about it.

It's unclear whether the event was reported to the police at the time.

According to the court documents, the nurse still had to interact with Poor at that and other nursing homes, and it took a toll on her.

“As a result of Poor’s assault on her, the [nurse] has been seriously and permanently injured, and continues to suffer at present from psychological disease, which impairs and affects all aspects of her life,” according to the lawsuit, which noted the nurse has had to undergo medical treatment and has lost income because of the assault.

Poor has 20 days to answer after the papers are served, which the Durso said would happen shortly.

"The suit was filed now because we have been unable to resolve it without litigation,"said Durso.

But Poor's attorney says he denies anything improper ever happened.

"Dr. Poor denies any assault or other improper behavior, or that he is in any way responsible for the plaintiff’s claims," said Poor's attorney James Grumbach who said an internal investigation, with video footage, at the facility exonerated him.

"Dr. Poor has strong defenses, both factually and legally, and we look forward to our day in court," said Grumbach in an email to Patch Wednesday.

Poor, who has been treating patients in long-term care facilities since 1987, was audited by MassHealth and the state in 2017. In February his medical license was suspended, and he paid a fine of $680,000 as part of a settlement with the U.S. Attorney's office and the Attorney General's office for inflating Medicare and Medicaid claims at nursing homes between 2011 and 2017.

[Editor's note: This article was updated to include Poor's response.]

Dr. Hooshang Poor, Newton Doctor lawsuit. by ReporterJenna on Scribd

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Patch Reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).