Class action suit filed against accused pedophile

A class-action lawsuit was filed last week against accused pedophile Dr. Earl Bradley, Beebe Medical Center, the Medical Society of Delaware and its insurance carrier, and three doctors.

Wilmington attorneys Bruce Hudson and Ben Castle filed the suit in New Castle County Superior Court. The class includes all patients treated by Bradley during his time in Sussex County, from 1994 to 2009.

Hudson said, “It will be everybody, basically all of his patients, initially. I understand there are 7,000 files that have been gathered. How many of those are victims remains to be seen.”

Bradley is accused of more than 500 counts of rape and exploitation involving 127 children.
“His average caseload was 1,000 active at any one time. For 14 years, that’s a lot of opportunity,” Hudson said. “I just think he’s a sick individual, and this isn’t something that just came on suddenly sometime while he was here in Lewes.”

The suit names Jane Doe 30, a now-12-year-old girl, and her parents as plaintiffs, as well as all other patients allegedly abused by Bradley.

The suit says the defendants – Bradley, Beebe, the Medical Society and doctors James Marvel, Carol Tavani and Lowell Scott – had knowledge and should have known or suspected Bradley was engaging in unprofessional conduct with his patients.

“All defendants breached their statutory duties to report,” the suit says.

As a consequence of their not reporting Bradley’s actions, Bradley continued to practice medicine, putting him in a position of intimate contact with child patients whom he repeatedly abused. The injuries suffered by the patients are substantial and continuing, the suit says.
The plaintiffs are seeking punitive damages, special damages and pre-and post-judgment interest.

Hudson said the number of plaintiffs in the suit would be cut roughly in half based on Bradley’s typical pattern of abuse: choosing young girls. In the state’s indictments of Bradley, only one male victim was identified.

“Only Bradley knows for sure how many real victims there are. Unless he kept a journal, no one will ever know,” Hudson said.

He said Bradley abused patients in a number of ways, from the graphic depictions of the doctor forcing himself on young children, which Bradley recorded on video to fondling kids in the exam rooms while the parents’ view was obstructed.

“There are many kinds of sexual abuse we’re aware of. The only way we are going to try to get a handle on that is to notify everybody,” Hudson said.

He said class-action suits are typically found in business-oriented cases, such as airplane crashes or shareholders suing a company.

“It’s hard to predict exactly how this one will be handled. But initially, we’ll have a hearing to have the class certified, and there will be a lot of meetings between the judge and the attorneys for the various defendants.

“There isn’t a recipe for this. This is a very unique case,” Hudson said.

He said the next step is for the defense to file an answer brief, and then there will be a sit down with the judge to discuss procedure.

Hudson and Castle, along with Craig Karsnitz, have nearly 40 lawsuits against Bradley, most of which also name Beebe, the doctors and the medical society.

“We want to hold everyone accountable that knew or should have known and should have reported,” Hudson said.