Provo gynecologist charged with sexual abuse, 2 years after allegations surfaced

PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — Provo gynecologist Dr. David Broadbent was charged with sexual abuse on Thursday, June 27, more than two years after Dozens of women sued him for sexual abuse.

David Harris Broadbent, 77, is accused of sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, for an incident that allegedly occurred in 2020.

According to the probable cause statement, Broadbent inappropriately grabbed a patient during an examination. The victim claims he moved her clothing and grabbed her in places unrelated to the examination.

This is the first felony charge against Broadbent after more than 100 women joined a lawsuit against him in 2022 alleging they were sexually abused while providing medical care. The lawsuit seeks damages as well as a jury trial.

A judge the lawsuit dismissed Later that same year, he claimed it should be considered a “medical malpractice case” rather than a sexual abuse case because the alleged abuse occurred in a medical setting.

The women’s lawyers have since argued that the judge was wrong to dismiss the lawsuit because the women were suing for abuse, not medical care.

In addition, patients in a medical malpractice lawsuit must file their complaints within two years, and some of the allegations made in the lawsuit date back decades.

More than 90 women appealed before the Supreme Court of Utah to reopen the case, and the Court heard the arguments in October 2023. There are no documents indicating that the Utah Supreme Court has made a decision.

Although Broadbent currently faces only one felony charge, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said it “will continue to investigate other allegations and will make a decision on whether to file additional charges against Dr. Broadbent when those investigations are complete.”