Patients Say Nurse-Anesthetist Molested Them

MARIETTA, GA. (CN) - Five patients of WellStar Health System's Cobb Hospital claim that a nurse anesthetist knocked them out as they awaited surgery and videotaped himself sexually molesting them. All five - one of them a 13-year-old girl - claim the nurse did it in the presence of other hospital employees.

The women claim Paul Serdula doped them with Versed and Fentanyl and then "removed his penis from his pants and placed his penis into [each plaintiff's] mouth while in the operating room in the presence of other WellStar healthcare providers who could have easily seen and prevented this atrocity". The women add that Serdula was not authorized to administer general anesthesia.

The only named defendant in Cobb County Court is the WellStar Health System.

Four of the women entered the hospital for Caesarean section births; the teen-ager was admitted for an appendectomy.

Each plaintiff graphically describes Serdula's alleged molestation, and all say he did it in the presence of other WellStar employees.

For instance: "After rendering J.L.W. unconscious and unable to protest, Paul Serdula, CRNA recorded video images of himself placing his penis into J.L.W.'s mouth and rubbing his penis across J.L.W.'s face while in the operating room in the presence of other WellStar healthcare providers who could have easily seen and prevented this atrocity".

All five patients say they signed a standard consent form for local anesthesia upon admission to the hospital, but each says she did not consent to receiving general anesthesia from any person other than the licensed medical doctors named in the complaint.

They seek punitive damages for negligence, premises liability, negligent supervision, professional negligence, and loss of consortium.

Lead counsel is Thomas Malone of Atlanta.

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