A Gilroy doctor accused of sexually assaulting six women during
pelvic exams took the stand Thursday while transforming the San
Jose courtroom into a mock exam room.
SAN JOSE – A Gilroy doctor accused of sexually assaulting six women during pelvic exams took the stand Thursday while transforming the San Jose courtroom into a mock exam room.
Complete with an exam table, stirrups, a full tray of medical supplies and a mannequin wearing a green gown, Dr. Raul Ixtlahuac, 41, demonstrated to the jury of seven men and five women how he conducted typical pelvic exams during his nearly 12 years as a family physician at Kaiser Permanente.
The doctor remained businesslike and calm both while answering questions on the stand and providing demonstrations.
“I treat all of my patients the same way I would treat a family member,” said Ixtlahuac, who repeatedly denied sexually assaulting any of the alleged victims. The victims’ view of the doctor during the exams was obstructed by a large drape.
Ixtlahuac faces up to 14 years in prison for four counts of alleged felony penetration with a foreign object and two counts of felony sexual battery between the fall of 2000 and spring of 2001. Ixtlahuac has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During one point of defense attorney Doron Weinberg’s questioning, Ixtlahuac explained how he always left the room following his pelvic exams to give his patients a chance to dress before discussing future treatments – something not all doctors do because of time demands, he said.
When Weinberg questioned Ixtlahuac about the exams he conducted on three of the six alleged victims, Ixtlahuac explained the procedure he provided to each victim and firmly stated that he had done nothing improper.
Throughout the trial, four of Ixtlahuac’s alleged victims testified that he penetrated them with his penis during pelvic examinations and two woman claimed he rubbed them in a sexual manner with his fingers. Each of the victims – ages 25 to 42 – have filed a civil suit against Ixtlahuac and most have done the same against Kaiser.
Ixtlahuac was arrested in May 2001 and has since been free on a $250,000 bond and placed on administrative leave from Kaiser. His medical license also has been suspended pending the outcome of the trial.
