Prosecutors build case against Seattle gynecologist

SEATTLE – Ten months have passed since the first accusations of rape and molestation surfaced against a south Seattle gynecologist, but so far the doctor has not been arrested or charged with any crime.

Prosecutors say they are working hard on the case and hope to decide on charges within a few weeks.

Meanwhile, 44 women have filed lawsuits in King County Superior Court against Dr. Charles Momah, saying he performed unnecessary and painful surgeries, molested and in some cases raped them.

In their lawsuits, former patients say Momah’s exams made them feel violated and ashamed. Alone in his examining room, they say, he fondled their breasts and genitals, and frequently penetrated them with a vaginal ultrasound probe that most gynecologists rarely use.

He pressured women into surgeries, their lawsuits allege, and prescribed heavy painkillers: Vicodin, Valium, Percodan, Percoset, Demerol, morphine. Some women say they became addicted. That’s when the rapes started, they claim.

Several women say in their lawsuits that Momah used their painkiller addiction to manipulate them – threatening to stop their prescriptions if they reported sexual abuse, or saying no one would believe them because they were drug addicts.

Some women allege Momah even allowed his identical twin, Dr. Dennis Momah, to impersonate him and “examine” patients. In their lawsuits, they say they noticed their doctor’s weight, clothing style, speech pattern and personality seemed to change dramatically from one week to the next.

“Dr. Momah’s Little Shop of Horrors” is what MiKell Bannach calls his south Seattle clinic in her lawsuit.

Like many other women who have filed suit, Bannach said she fears Momah and hopes prosecutors file charges soon.

“I can’t believe nothing has been done,” said Bannach, the mother of three.

Charles Momah is no longer practicing. The state of Washington suspended his license Sept. 11, after a quick investigation into the rape complaints.

The state Health Department investigated Dennis Momah and cleared him of wrongdoing. Health Department spokesman Tim Church said investigators found evidence that Dennis Momah was out of town when some women allege he impersonated his brother at the clinic. Dennis Momah is still licensed to practice medicine in the state.

Both brothers are named in the lawsuits. Neither has been charged with any crime.

Two prosecutors have been investigating the case since October. Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said prosecutors are taking the case seriously and want to be thorough. He said he expects a decision on charges within a few weeks.

Seattle attorney Harish Bharti, best known for suing McDonald’s over its non-vegetarian french fries, is representing all 44 women suing Momah.

“Every system failed these women. As a community, we failed these victims,” Bharti said. “Dr. Momah has no business being out on the streets.”

Attempts to reach Momah were unsuccessful. His office phone number has been disconnected, and his home phone number rang unanswered. The house at his last known address in Bellevue appeared deserted, and no one answered the door there.

A man who answered the phone at Dennis Momah’s apartment said Momah could not be reached there.

Charles Momah’s lawyer, David Allen, has said Momah is innocent. Allen said his client plans to practice medicine again.

Momah, 47, grew up in Nigeria and trained in Nigeria and Canada. In 1993, after working in New York and Georgia, Momah moved to Washington state and opened clinics in two south Seattle suburbs.

Internal Health Department memos show the agency was concerned about Momah as early as 1997.

The earlier complaints documented by the Health Department focused on quality-of-care issues – accusations that Momah used dirty surgical equipment, didn’t respond to emergency calls, and a few allegations that he yelled at and intimidated nurses. The department investigated, but nothing came of it.

“People can say things in e-mail that don’t hold up in court,” Church said. “We need more than an opinion.”

The Health Department investigated Momah again last year and charged him with 11 quality-of-care violations, based on similar complaints. Momah was preparing to fight those charges when the rape allegations surfaced, and the department suspended his license on an emergency basis.

Jolie Campbell, 36, said she told the King County Sheriff’s Office in 2000 that Momah had raped her in his exam room. Deputies investigated and forwarded the case to prosecutors, who said there wasn’t enough evidence to file charges. Her case has since been reopened.

Campbell’s lawsuit says Momah deliberately got her addicted to painkillers, then raped her in his office after she denied his demands to have three-way sex with him and her teenage sister. When she threatened to report him, her lawsuit says, he predicted that no one would believe her.

“I’m really hurt,” Campbell said. “I feel like my life didn’t matter.”