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In April, a spine surgeon with offices in both Paramus and Wyckoff agreed to temporarily give up his license amid allegations of inappropriate sexual contact involving two of his patients.
Dr. Louis G. Quartararo signed an agreement with the state Board of Medical Examiners on March 22. According to this agreement, he must undergo an inpatient psychosexual evaluation and treatment through a board-affiliated professional assistance program.
Quartararo mainly practices at the New Jersey Spine Institute in Paramus and the International Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery in Wyckoff.
Authorities say that Quartararo “exchanged text messages, images, videos and audio files of an intimate sexual nature” which were not related to medical treatment. These files depicted acts with a female patient between October 2011 and May 2016.
In the second case, the surgeon is accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a second female patient whom he treated for a year.
According to the Board’s order, these allegations “if proven, would palpably demonstrate a clear and imminent danger to the public.”
Attorney contributor Brian Kent is a former sex crimes prosecutor who now serves as a civil attorney, helping survivors of sexual abuse find justice through lawsuits and settlements. Here is Brian with a few thoughts on the legal options available to those who have been sexually assaulted by medical professionals in New Jersey:
The professional relationship between a doctor and their patients is sacred. It should go without saying that every patient deserves to be treated with respect by medical professionals. While most doctors are indeed respectful towards their patients, there have also been widespread reports of sexual abuse by medical professionals across the United States.
There is no excuse when a medical professional violates their patient’s trust by committing a traumatic sexual assault. Doctors who cross this line must be held accountable and the victims of these crimes deserve answers and support. In many cases, victims of sexual assault by medical professionals have the right to file a lawsuit against the doctor, and in some cases, the facility where the assault happened.
New Jersey has recently expanded the statute of limitations for sexual abuse. Survivors now have up until their 55th birthday to file a lawsuit. Additionally, survivors who previously were unable to take legal action due to the previous two-year statute of limitations now have two years to file lawsuits.
If you or someone you love is a survivor of sexual assault by a medical professional, you can learn more about your family’s legal options by speaking to an experienced sexual assault survivors lawyer.
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